


Hurts so good

by Bellawritesfiction



Series: Hurts so good [1]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Bisexuality, Complicated Relationships, Consensual Violence, Homosexuality, M/M, Scared Stiles, Sexual Coercion, Underage Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-11
Updated: 2014-12-11
Packaged: 2017-12-26 07:51:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 85
Words: 292,340
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/963435
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bellawritesfiction/pseuds/Bellawritesfiction
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Derek and Stiles have a weird relationship. Stiles is scared most of the time when he's around Derek.</p><p>Set in the timeframe between S2 and S3. Not very canonical, but has it's moments.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Not really non-con but it can be perceived as coercion. For some it could be a trigger. First chapter is safe though.

There was always a special tension in the room whenever Derek was around. He was a little intimidating but that came with the territory. After all, the guy was a werewolf. He could rip your throat out in seconds and also possibly make sure that your body would never be found.

The only problem was that Stiles wanted to hang out with him. There were no real reason for this. Not anything that he would admit to anyway. Not even to himself. Derek with his broody look and his almost total lack of social skills was really not that easy to be around.

Being accepted among the werewolves was rather exciting but it was kind of scary also. Stiles had a constant fear that one day, one or more of them would turn on him and attack. Scott would probably not be able to save him if that happened.

If that day came, he hoped that he'd be mauled by an alfa. Stiles had no desire to become a werewolf, but being dead didn't have much appeal either. All things considered, being one of them would make it all easier. Although he was really content with being human.

He knew that Derek tried to look out for him, and it was nice to know. Derek was clear about how difficult it could be. He'd often warned Stiles about being too outspoken or enter into situations that could injure or even kill him. Stiles found it kind of cute that he was so protective, but didn't really know if he could trust him one hundred percent.

The weird and sometimes puzzling relationship Stiles had with Derek had taught him that the guy could be a little erratic from time to time. Sometimes, Derek did his best to scare the crap out of Stiles. With his sinister look and brute force Derek had many times made Stiles see his life flash before his eyes in confrontations with the guy. And yet, deep down in Derek's eyes, Stiles could see care and concern.

Knowing that Derek cared for him in some odd and freaked out way was somewhat comforting. At the same time, it was disturbing because most of the time Stiles was still terrified by the guy.

These conflicting feelings reached their peek every time Derek needed Stiles' help. He would never just ask nicely. He was always demanding, and it didn't seem like he expected Stiles to refuse. Of course Stiles tried, but deep down he knew that there was nothing he could do. Throwing out a witty remark in a futile attempt to sound tough didn't cut it.

Stiles thought back in horror of that night when Derek asked him to cut his arm off. Scrub that. He didn't ask, he demanded. Wrong again. With actual death threats he forced Stiles to lower that saw onto the arm.

The fact that Scott came in and saved the day – or night – didn't prevent Stiles from having nightmares about it long after.

-o-o-o-

A tap on his window made Stiles moan in irritation. He was tired and didn't want anything to interrupt his sleep. Another tap woke him up completely, and with confusion he stared at the window. It was still dark outside and the nightlight by his bedside distorted the view. He could only see the reflection of the lamp and a blurred imaged of his own face in the pane of the window.

The next sound wasn't a gentle tap. An image of a hand clenched into a fist banging on the window appeared from the outside. Seconds later it was gone, and his own startled face stared back at him.

Stiles turned the light off and rolled out of bed before he hesitantly padded across the room. It was pitch black out there. It was like the world was gone and he was staring into a black hole. Normally, there would be some kind of light source out there to give some visibility, but not now. Stiles guessed that the nearest street light must have broke or something. He knew it should have been a half moon on the sky but the forecast had said it would be a cloudy night.

With his face close to the pane, he tried to get his eyes used to the darkness and see who was out there. He figured it could be Scott, but that would be weird. Scott would always text him before he came knocking.

Suddenly, a bloody hand was splayed out on the outside of the pane. Stiles hurried to unlatch the clasp of the window and pushed it open. He didn't know what to expect, but whoever was out there was in some serious trouble.

Seconds later Stiles was on his back when a big ball of black and red hit him as Derek practically dived in through the opening. "I need help," the guy gasped out the moment he landed on the floor next to Stiles.

From his position, Stiles reached out to turn on the lamp again, and what he saw when he was done blinking from the sudden light was disturbing.

Derek's clothes were ripped and torn and blood was seeping out from several cuts on his body. He was shaking and it looked like he was about to pass out. Stiles crawled backwards and looked at Derek in horror. "Heal thyself!" he uttered, knowing that it was probably the lamest thing to say right now. Okay, maybe not the lamest thing, but surely among the top ten.

Derek dug his nail into the carpet and whimpered like a sick puppy. Stiles almost laughed at his own comparison, but he braced himself. "What can I do? What happened?" He moved a little closer and looked at the scratch on Derek's hand. "Why aren't you healing."

Derek closed his eyes, and for a moment, Stiles worried that he would actually pass out. "Wolfsbane." the word came out as a huff. "I need to rinse it off." Derek rolled over on his back and hitched his breath. "Fast."

Stiles didn't know where he got the strength from, but he managed to haul Derek out of his room, through the hall, and into the bathroom. He was happy that his father was working the night shift because this would have been hard to explain.

With Derek spread out on the tiled floor, Stiles tiptoed a little nervously around him. He should probably try to get his clothes off, but since Derek was floating in and out of consciousness, he couldn't expect his help.

He looked at the shower and gave it a thought before he made his decision. Stiles turned the water on, and when it had a comfortable temperature, he dragged the almost lifeless body into the shower. Stiles himself got drenched in the process, but he didn't care.

He pulled the shower-head off its clasp and started to systematically run it over Derek's body. Every wound that he could see through the rips in his clothes got cleaned up. A few flower petals floated on the water that was running towards the drain. Stiles picked them up and threw them in the toilet. He made sure to flush them before he continued on his task.

It didn't take long before Derek started to wake up. Stiles was leaning over him – water dripping from his face – while he with his fingers tried to wash out the gash on the guy's leg. As he was watching the wound started to close by itself and before he knew it there wasn't even a visible scar.

Stiles was about to move away when Derek grabbed his wrist. "Thank you. I owe you." He let his hand fall down again, and with a huff, he moved away from the streaming water. Stiles got up and turned it off before he put the shower head back.

Derek's jacket was probably ruined. His shoes could obviously not be saved either. Stiles realized that he could have done this in a little different manner. He could at least have tried to get that leather jacket off.

Standing in the middle of the floor looking down at a soaking wet Derek, he started laughing uncontrollably. He knew it was because he was nervous. This situation was not particularly comfortable.

Derek cocked his brow and looked at him curiously. "Are you crazy? This is not funny." Scrambling to his feet, he threw a peek over his shoulder that made Stiles laughter stop short in his throat. There was a flash of red in those eyes that made Stiles' heart skip a beat or two.

"I didn't mean to. Sorry. I'm nervous. You owe me. Please don't kill me. I'm a good guy. I helped you. I didn't need to. Please." Stiles could hear his own voice reach an uncomfortable high pitch. He tried to compose himself somewhat as he walked backwards to get away from Derek. He took a deep breath and tried to speak calmly. "I did what you asked. Now you can go on your merry way and leave me alone." He exited and ran down the hall to his room where he dived into bed and huddled under the covers.

He expected Derek to follow him, but for several minutes nothing happened. Stiles sighed and peeked at the door. The quietness was very disturbing. Derek had been drenched to the bone, and it would be very uncomfortable for him to go out in the chilly night soaking wet. If Derek was back to his full powers he could get home quickly so it was still a possibility that he'd left already. Stiles felt sightly disappointed. The guy could at least have showed some gratitude.

Under the blanket, Stiles suddenly realized that he too was soaked. He gave it another couple of minutes before he rolled himself out of bed and hurried towards his closet. He was on alert as he pulled out new linens, and when he moved towards the bed again, he could see the doorknob turning.

"I'm gonna scream!" Stiles tried to find something to defend himself with, but Derek was back to his old self. The second the door opened, he moved across the room in a flash and grabbed Stiles by his throat. "You're not. And don't worry, I'm not gonna hurt you." He held on and it was somewhat difficult to breathe. "Okay." Stiles croaked out. "Promise?"

Derek let go and left Stiles heaving. "You scare me. I just want to be left alone. Why are you still here?" He tried to act casual as he started to pull the wet sheet off his bed. Derek sighed and threw his hands out. "It's cold outside. I need dry clothes."

Stiles rolled his eyes. "We've been through this before. None of my clothes fit you. I don't know what to do." He's eyes grew wide when Derek started to undress in front of him. "What are you doing? I have nothing that'll fit you. There's no point."

Derek scoffed. "You have a dryer? Just..." He was only in his boxers and when he started to pull them down too Stiles jumped in front of him. "Sure, sure, but please." He forced the clean sheet into Derek's arms. "If you're gonna undress completely, at least cover yourself up."

When Stiles was in the laundry room tucking the clothes into the dryer, he couldn't help himself thinking about the fact that Derek was naked in his room. So okay, he was wrapped in a sheet, but he had no clothes on. Stiles got scared by his own reaction to this. The little twitch of his cock inside his still damp pajama pants almost made him squirm.

While doing his best to force away the image in his head, he undressed and threw his own clothes in too. In a basket with clean clothes, he found a pair of boxer-shorts and pulled them on before he reluctantly went back to his room.

Derek was sitting on the bed with his back leaning against the headboard. He looked comfortable and Stiles could almost see a smile tugging his lips. He had to blink to make sure that he didn't just imagine it. Derek didn't smile very often. The only facial expression he had that could remotely resemble a smile was when he curled his lips into a sneer. This time it actually looked like a smile.

Getting in bed now was out of the question. Stiles padded over to the desk and turned on the computer. He needed a distraction. "Will you tell me what happened." He turned to Derek as he waited for the computer to boot.

The bedside lamp didn't provide much light, but Stiles could have sworn that Derek blushed when he got the question. "Did you get in a fight or something? Those wounds... it looked like a big cat had played with you. They were all over the place."

Derek looked away, and now, there wasn't a hint of doubt anymore. The guy was actually blushing. Stiles had been curious the moment Derek fell through his window, but now the curiosity reach a new peek. "Oh, please tell me. I helped you. I saved your life. You almost choked me. Hey! And you owe me."

Knowing that it didn't matter how far away from Derek he was – the guy could get to him in a second anyway – he still felt more comfortable on the other side of the room. Derek turned to him slowly. "Come here then." He patted the mattress and gestured for Stiles to sit down. Stiles hesitated. "Why? You scare me. Why would I want to sit that close to you?"

A lopsided smile appeared for a split second before Derek sighed. "If you wanna know." He patted the mattress again. "I'm not gonna... You're safe. It's okay." Stiles noticed that Derek didn't really promise that he wouldn't hurt him, but still he crossed the floor and sat down on the other edge of the bed. "Okay. I'm here. Spill." He turned a little so that he could see Derek, but he didn't move any closer.

Derek rubbed his forehead and scoffed a little. "I was sitting on a rooftop over there." He gestured towards the window. "I was contemplating on paying you a visit." Now he stared directly at Stiles as he was waiting for some kind of response. When Stiles just widened his eyes in surprise, Derek continued. "I don't know why."

Several minutes of silence followed, and Stiles furrowed his brows. Something was off. He couldn't think of any reason why Derek wanted to come here. "Unless..." Stiles thought and felt a shiver down his spine. Not knowing what would be the best thing to do at the moment, his brain suddenly detached itself from the rest of his body and he crawled further onto the bed and sat next to Derek. "You don't know why? That's just a bunch of crap."

Derek looked away again and let his eyes pan the room. "How long till my clothes are dry?" His tongue darted out of his mouth and ran over his lips. Stiles almost choked. "That was deliberate." He thought as he looked down to see if the reaction was visible. It was not. The boxer-shorts were a little oversized, and they were bunched up over the crotch.

"Don't even try. You were gonna tell me what happened. Don't get me sidetracked." He gave Derek a gently nudge on the shoulder thinking it might encourage him to keep going.

"I slipped. The roof was wet." Derek was now staring into the ceiling and Stiles could almost feel the heat from the bright red face next to him. "So you slipped, big deal. But the wounds?" Stiles wished that there could have been a little scar he could have traced with his finger. The urge to touch Derek was overwhelming, extremely scary and disturbing.

"One of your neighbors has a very messy yard." Derek lifted his hands to his face and covered his eyes. "Who the hell keeps car parts and barbed wire piled up behind their house?" He used the heels of his hands to rub his eyes hard. "And then they let wolfsbane grow wild between it all."

Stiles could see the scenario in his head, and before he could stop himself, he busted out laughing. It didn't take more than a split second before Derek's hand covered his mouth. "Stop now or I will break my promise to not hurt you."

It would only take a little twist of Derek's hand to actually break Stiles' neck. His mouth, with teeth – not so much wolf's teeth at the moment but that could change quickly – was inches away from Stiles' neck. Needless to say, the urge to laugh was gone as quickly as it had appeared. The slight arousal Stiles had felt sitting next to Derek was not gone, though. On the contrary. Stiles eyes rolled back in his head as his cock got fully erect in an instant.

Derek didn't notice. His eyes were fixed on Stiles' and he was clearly oblivious to what went on in the lower regions. When Derek moved his hand from Stiles' mouth giving him a threatening look, Stiles hitched his breath and closed his eyes. "Mm, I wonder? Why would you want to visit me?" He managed to keep his voice somewhat steady even if his inside felt like a trembling mess.

Nothing could have prepared Stiles for what happened next. He knew it would have been possible to expect it, but it still came as lightning from a clear blue sky. Within a second, Stiles was on his back with Derek hovering over him. The next second he had a pair of lips on his and Derek's tongue working to get an invite to enter Stiles' mouth.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some violence. Borderline Coercion. Approach with caution.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is bad. I didn't plan to have to add warnings to this story, but it took on a life of it's own.

While Stiles tried to recover from the ambush, he felt a hand trailing down his stomach and easing itself under the waistband of his shorts. Stiles opened his mouth in sheer terror. Derek seized the opportunity and forced his tongue inside kissing him with an intensity that took the breath right out of him.

The total lack of experience made Stiles freeze up, and he was totally unable to reciprocate the kiss. Another issue was that Derek's hand was wrapped tightly around Stiles' cock, making it very hard to stay focused on anything.

Derek pulled back for a second, giving Stiles a chance to take a breath. "I came for this." Derek smirked and moved in for another kiss. Stiles put his hand on Derek's chest and held him back. "What? Why? What are you talking about? This is..." He sighed and tried to meet Derek's eyes.

Derek moved to lie next to Stiles. He still had his hand inside Stiles' shorts holding on to his cock and caressing the head gently with his thumb. "I have been thinking about it for weeks. Falling off the roof was a blessing in disguise. I might not have ever come." He gave Stiles a quick kiss on the cheek. "I can't promise not to hurt you."

Stiles hitched his breath and widened his eyes. "No! What? Wait! You can't just force yourself on me. You know what that is called?" He tried to keep his voice steady, but it wasn't easy. Derek scoffed. "I wouldn't dream of forcing you to do anything you don't want." He gave Stiles' dick a quick tug making a soft moan slip out of Stiles' mouth. "But you want this too. You've wanted it for a while." Another quick tug came followed by a trail of kisses down Stiles' chest.

Stiles' grabbed onto Derek's hair and pulled his head up. "I can't... I... how can you say that?" He knew it was true. It had been hard to admit, but Derek was spot on. It was still puzzling how he could know this.

"I could smell it." Derek let go of Stiles' cock and started to pull his shorts down. Without thinking Stiles lifted his butt to help out. When they were around his knees Stiles just kicked them off. Derek was still wrapped in the sheet but now he started to wiggle himself out of it. "I could hear your heart beat and even if you smelt like fear I could still sense the lust you emitted."

Derek was now untangled from the sheet, and Stiles wanted to look at him in all his naked glory, but he didn't dare to move. Actually, he couldn't move even if he wanted to. He felt almost paralyzed. Derek grabbed his hand and pulled it against his own crotch. "Come on. You have fantasized about this, haven't you? I have."

Touching Derek's dick was almost like an out-of-body-experience. Stiles kept his eyes closed, but he could see himself in his mind. Trembling fingers slowly crawling towards the shaft. Derek was guiding his hand and when it reached it's goal, Derek drew his breath quickly and let out a groan.

Stiles just stroke it gently letting his thumb ever so often touch the head. Derek didn't push him to do anything else, and Stiles was happy about that. He wouldn't have known what to do anyway. Derek was not so shy. His hands and lips was all over the parts of Stiles' body that he could reach from his position.

Never in his life had Stiles' been this aroused. It felt like he could cum at any time without having to put in any effort. As Derek moved his finger between his legs and caressed the hole back there, Stiles was gasping for air and felt his balls tighten. He was so close that it was ridiculous.

Suddenly Derek rolled over a little and reached for something on the floor. He pulled up his ruined leather jacket and sifted through the pockets soon revealing a small bottle. Stiles knew exactly what it was and started to shake uncontrollably. Derek rolled back and cupped his cheeks. "Relax. Everything will be fine, just relax."

Derek squirted some lube on his fingers and then he tucked the bottle under the pillow. While staring into Stiles' eyes, he moved his hand down Stiles' body. He stroked his cock gently with his palm making it twitch. Stiles wanted to touch himself, but he knew that he'd probably cum on the first tug. Anyway, his arms felt like lead so moving them was out of the question. Derek's hand continued on it's path and when he rubbed some of the lube onto the puckered hole, Stiles held his breath. Derek's lips on his chest distracted him somewhat, and before he knew it, he could feel a finger up his ass. It didn't hurt. Stiles got only enough time to get surprised by that fact when the finger moved and made his world shatter into pieces.

He felt his own cum hit his stomach, and got utterly embarrassed by it. He would have wanted to hold back. He felt like a twelve year old waking up from a wet dream. Derek kissed his cheek and gave him a crooked smile. "It's okay."

There was a gentleness in his voice that made tears pile up in Stiles' eyes. Derek really meant it. It was okay. Stiles managed to lift his hand off the mattress and stroke Derek's arm. "I have never... I'm..." The words got stuck in his throat when Derek moved in for a kiss. He put a hand under Stiles' neck, and lifted his head off the pillow; deepening the kiss in the process. Stiles went with it, and this time, he managed to reciprocate. His lack of experience bothered him for a second, but he grabbed on to Derek's shoulders and tried to let go of the embarrassment and awkwardness of the situation.

Without warning, Derek withdrew his arm, causing Stiles to fall back onto his pillow. He cocked his head and squinted. "Turn over." The gentle voice was gone and the words came as a raspy whisper. Again, Stiles noticed a little flash of red in Derek's eyes, and he worried for a second that the guy would turn and rip him to shreds.

Derek leaned forward and let his lips brush Stiles' neck. "He'll bite me. Tomorrow I'll wake up being a werewolf... or dead." The thoughts floated around in Stiles brains as a nibble on his earlobe made shivers go down his spine. "Turn over." Stiles could feel Derek's breath on his ear. Even fearing for his life, stupidity took over once more. "What if I don't want to? What if I'm fine like this?"

Derek's head was still tucked into the crook of his neck so Stiles couldn't see his facial expression. He startled when he heard the guy chuckle into his ear. "Stiles, Stiles. Don't be silly. You know you want it." He lifted his head and gave Stiles' shoulder a push. "Come on."

Stiles wondered what would happen if he actually got out of bed and refused to do as he was told; not that he wanted to do that. Stiles was again so hard that it hurt. Derek's intimidating demand and the fear Stiles experienced from it was extremely arousing. But then again, it was that other issue. Having a finger up his ass probably didn't qualify as giving up his virginity. What Derek was preparing for definitely was.

A slap on his ass made him lose his train of thoughts. He looked up with a frown and stared into Derek's eyes. "You hit me? That was not necessary. Do it again." Derek looked just as surprised as Stiles was when the words slipped out. "I mean..." Slowly Stiles turned over to lie on his stomach. He didn't know what to say. "Don't hurt me." The words came out on their own.

Derek let a finger trail down Stiles' spine. "I can't promise that. Sorry." A slap and an instant pain on his butt-cheek made Stiles jump. "I see. So your promises aren't worth shit." He braced himself for another slap but it didn't come. Instead Derek kneaded the flesh on his butt as he moved to sit between Stiles' legs. "I can promise you that it will be less painful if you shut up."

For a few minutes Stiles lied still and tried to stay calm and collected. Derek's hands felt good on his skin. Every so often, a finger traced the crack making Stiles shiver a little. It was all good and sweet; way too sweet in Stiles' opinion. "Hey! Did you fall asleep back there? I thought..." He got cut off by a slap so hard that he had to arch his back and let out a cry of pain. "Better?" He could hear that Derek was smirking. It was in his voice. Stiles drew his breath. "Yeah. I guess."

He got another little slap. It was almost like a caress, but the words that followed it made it more demanding. "On your knees, bitch!" Derek's voice was raspy, and Stiles hesitated for a second. "Bitch? What a nerve." He tried to turn and look at Derek, but Derek had now put his hands on Stiles' hips and pulled him up on his knees. "Yeah. You're my bitch tonight. And it's gonna hurt but it's gonna feel so good."

Derek reached his hand under the pillow and grabbed the bottle of lube. "If you want me to be gentle you shut up and don't complain." Seconds later Stiles had Derek's finger on his asshole, smearing lube around it. He could almost not keep himself up, but Derek's hand firmly placed on the front of his thigh helped a lot.

When he again felt the finger up his ass, Stiles had to bite into the pillow. He wanted to push back to get it further in, but he didn't dare to interfere. It didn't take long before he felt Derek's knuckles against the skin anyway. Slowly, Derek moved that finger in and out before he, without warning, added another. This time, a whimper escaped Stiles throat and he stuffed the corner of the pillow into his mouth to prevent a cry from coming out.

Derek took his time and twisted his fingers obviously to stretch the hole. Stiles couldn't take it any longer. He pushed back until he again could feel Derek's knuckles against the skin. "Hm, not so shy anymore?" Derek let out a growl that made Stiles tense up for a second. It sounded like a dog – or a wolf – and it scared him. Derek moved his hand from Stiles' thigh to stroke his back. "Relax. You're doing fine."

The sound of more lube being squirted out made Stiles tense up again. He was in pain but Derek was right, it also felt so good. Suddenly the stretch of the muscle became almost unbearable, and Stiles guessed that he now had three fingers up his ass. Trying to breathe with half a pillow down his throat wasn't easy, but he was pretty sure he'd wake up the whole neighborhood if he removed it.

Without any warning, Derek pulled his fingers out and leaned over letting both his hands run over Stiles' back. "You okay?" He whispered as the hands reached the butt-cheeks. Stiles could only nod, but he wasn't quite sure if he was okay. Seconds later he felt the head of Derek's cock on his hole. He did his best to relax knowing it was probably the absolute best thing to do.

He felt the pressure as Derek pushed forward, and suddenly the stretch almost made him pass out. Tears were piling up in his eyes, and even the pillow couldn't muffle the whimper that escaped. The funny thing was that the pleasure that came along with this excruciating pain gave him a high that numbed it somewhat.

Derek had promised to be gentle and he was. He moved a little back and forth, getting further in with every thrust. Stiles had to tend to his own throbbing cock before he went crazy and managed to get his hand out from under the pillow. The moment he wrapped his hand around his own member, Derek's hand covered his and together they jerked Stiles off with slow, steady moves.

Shortly before Stiles reached his climax, Derek's hand disappeared as he started to increase the pace of his thrusts. Now with his hands on Stiles' hips, he wasn't so gentle anymore; but Stiles was now so fucked out that it didn't matter. He cummed and had to get the pillow out of his mouth so he wouldn't choke on it. To avoid screaming, he bit his lip so hard he could taste blood. Suddenly, Derek slowed down again and with a howl, he released his load up Stiles' ass and dug his nails – or was it claws – into the flesh of his hips.

The moment Derek loosened the grip, Stiles fell forward. His ass felt like a crater; a sore, throbbing crater. Derek moved to lie down beside him stroking his back. Stiles didn't want to face him. He turned his head towards the other side of the bed and practically gasped for air. Derek kept caressing his back; it felt so good. Stiles could easily fall asleep like this, but he knew he had to get up and clean up before his dad came home.

"I think maybe your clothes are dry now," he said with a raspy voice. Derek's hand stopped moving on his back. "Oh, okay. You want me to go? Okay." He could feel Derek get out of bed and decided to follow his example. "I need to fix this." He pointed to the bed, and startled a little when he saw what a mess they'd made. The still damp sheet was almost all the way off. The pillow had bloodstains from Stiles' lip, and there were several bloodstains on the mattress. Stiles looked at his hips. On each side he had four small scars. They were deeper than a regular nail could have caused. Blood was still trickling out from a couple of them. Derek followed Stiles' line of view. "Oh. Sorry about that." He cocked his head and sneered. "I've marked you. You are my bitch now."

Stiles would have replied but he knew he needed to get in the shower. "I need to..." He pointed to the door and practically ran out. "What a nerve on that wolf." He thought as he tried to hit his asshole with the spray from the shower-head. "His bitch. What is he thinking? Rude and obnoxious that's what he is."

The fact was that Stiles felt surprisingly comfortable with the term. He looked at the scars and let a finger run over them. They didn't hurt that much but he knew he would have a constant reminder of this night for several days until they healed somewhat.

When he was done, he wrapped a towel around his waist and went to the laundry room to get the clothes. Back in the room, Derek was sitting on the bed. He'd changed the sheet and the pillowcase. The blanket was hanging over a chair. "It was still wet. Not so much but I figured..." Derek threw his hands out and shrugged. "Can I use the shower?"

While Derek was in the bathroom, Stiles went and got a spare blanket from his father's room. His father would probably ask why, but it could easily be explained. Showering with his clothes on and dive into bed without changing was not what he was going to say anyway. An accident with a glass of water was more believable.

Stiles lied down and waited for Derek to come back. He didn't know what to say to him. He didn't know if there was anything to say. He was definitely not a virgin anymore, and he wasn't sure how he felt about that; if Derek had come here to get his way with him and then move on it was a little disturbing.

Derek came back and sifted through the pile of clothes. He picked up his boxers and put them on before he pulled the t-shirt over his head. As he reached for the jeans, he turned towards the bed. "When is your dad coming home?" He lifted a brow and stared at Stiles. Stiles could feel a little flutter in his stomach. "In about three hours. He'll knock to wake me up but he won't come in." Derek nodded slowly and turned back to the clothes. Stiles had hoped that Derek asked because he wanted to stay for a little bit but he'd obviously misunderstood.

Stiles rolled over on his side and tried to make himself comfortable. It surprised him when a tear ran down his temple and hit the pillow. He didn't want to get emotional about this ordeal, so he squeezed his eyes shut to prevent himself from crying.

"I can stay for a couple of hours if you want?" Derek's voice reached his ear and made his heart skip a beat. "Yeah, okay." Stiles croaked out, shifting a little to make room for Derek behind him. With Derek's arm wrapped tightly around his waist and the warmth from his body on his back, Stiles fell asleep.

When he woke up from a knock on the door, Derek was gone. Stiles sighed and looked out the window. He wondered if Derek would come back sometime; if there were a chance that this would happen again. He noticed a piece of paper on the sill and jumped out of bed. It had not been there before. He picked it up and read it. The words made him smile. "You're mine now. Expect a knock on your window. D."


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stiles didn't see or hear from Derek for four days. He'd kept the little note Derek had left on the window sill, in his nightstand drawer.
> 
> "You're mine now. Expect a knock on your window. D"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I never intended this story to have more than two chapters, and then this happened.

Stiles looked at the note every night when he went to bed. He waited for that knock, but so far Derek had stayed away. He'd wondered when the guy would show but tried to not expect anything.

The first couple of days after Derek had visited his room, Stiles had been somewhat elated by the memories. He went to school and pretended that everything was the same. He wasn't sure if he could fake it, but when not even Scott questioned his behavior, Stiles was pleased with himself. Keeping secrets from his friend was not really in his nature, and with Scott's heightened senses, Stiles expected it to be difficult.

When school was over on the forth day, he found Derek in the parking lot outside school with his pack. Stiles went over to them and hoped for a smile, but Derek seemed to not notice that he was even there. It was both disappointing and relieving. Stiles didn't want anyone to know what had happened between them, and clearly Derek was of the same opinion.

It would still have been nice to get a little sign. Something that could tell him that their encounter meant something for Derek. Stiles didn't demand much. A subtle wink or a little pat on the back would have been sufficient, but Derek chose to ignore him completely. When Stiles tried to make a cheeky comment on something Derek said he cut himself off when he realized that Derek seemed to look right through him, like he wasn't even there.

Stiles wondered if the words on that piece of paper was just that – words – that they didn't mean anything. They had been somewhat comforting after what went down that night. The fact that Derek wanted to come back made it a little less sordid. Looking at Derek now, Stiles didn't feel so good about it anymore. The way he behaved at the moment was borderline annoying.

After the meeting in the parking lot Derek sort of vanished. He had disappeared before for days at the time, so this wasn't a new thing. Asking around, Stiles learned that the other werewolves didn't know where he was either. Derek's disappearance wasn't planned. Stiles didn't worry. Not at all... or maybe a little bit.

Still he waited every night for a knock on his window. Derek's evasive behavior didn't prevent him from hoping, but as days went by he started to think that it would never happen. He kept the window unlatched just in case because Derek could come back at any time.

Another week went by without a sign. The scars on his hips were healing. Stiles had worried that they could get infected – they were very deep – but except for an annoying itch they seemed to close up nicely. In a few days it would probably be only traces of them and eventually they would be unnoticeable.

There was a pinch of sadness inside him when Stiles realized that the only visible proof of that night was slowly fading away. His memories of it was still vivid and he used them for what they were worth when he jerked himself off in solitude.

It wasn't like he was in love with the guy – no way – Derek was a dude and Stiles was not gay. It was just... it was just sex. Trying to justify his own thoughts wasn't particularly easy, but he didn't have to explain it to anyone. It was what it was, and he wanted it to happen again.

The next morning at school Isaac revealed that Derek was back. Nobody knew where he'd been, but he was alive and well. Stiles felt a little flutter inside his belly, but he tried not to show how relieved he was by the news.

The day went by in a haze. Scott invited him over in the evening but Stiles made some lame excuse about a few chores he had to do. He could see that Scott got disappointed. "It's just... Allison is away and my mom is working late." Scott shrugged. "We haven't hung out much lately. The two of us, not like before."

Stiles rolled his eyes. "Not my fault. We're either crowded by a pack of wolves or I have to watch you and Allison getting way too comfy with each other." He gave Scott a crocked smile. "Rain-check, it's just that I have to..." He couldn't come up with a lie that wouldn't taste bad so he just let the sentence hang on purpose.

"Chores? I'm sure your dad will forgive you if you wait a few hours." Scott was pushy and Stiles contemplated on giving in. It was after all a Friday night. No school tomorrow and Scott would possibly have some booze stashed in his room.

He worried though. What if Derek came tonight and found the room empty? He'd be pissed off and possibly never come back. "I can come over for a couple of hours, maybe?" He couldn't meet Scott's eyes. Even if he'd technically hadn't lied yet, it was still Scott – his best friend – and it didn't feel right to keep secrets.

His room looked like a hurricane had hit it, and the pile of laundry was growing. He really had chores to do, but his dad never nagged him about them. As long as he chipped in and helped out with the general housework, Mr Stilinsky never really demanded that he'd do it at a specific time.

Scott knew this. Scott knew this very well. "Something's up. I know you too well. You can tell me." Scott gave Stiles' shoulder a nudge. "I'm here for you." Stiles drew his breath and looked up. "Scott, I'm sorry. I have been procrastinating for too long. I have no clean clothes and the vacuuming... It's my turn, and I think the dust-bunnies are lethal by now."

Scott didn't push it any further. Stiles could see that his friend knew he was making excuses, but he just gave Stiles a hug and cocked his head. "You know you can tell me anything. I will try not to take this personally."

When he came home – and to his dad's surprise – Stiles started on the chores he'd lied to Scott about. He did two loads of laundry and vacuumed almost the entire house. "Stiles? Are you sick?" Mr Stilinsky pulled the plug of the vacuum-cleaner out of the socket forcing Stiles to take a break. "It's Friday night? What's gotten in to you?"

Stiles sighed and looked down. "It's nothing. I'm just, just, I had a fight with Scott." He lifted his head a little. "It'll be fine, I'm just upset. We'll fix it in the morning, but I just needed to do something." The look he got from his father was scrutinizing. "Son!" he said and threw his hands out. Stiles worried that his father would start questioning him about it. He didn't like to lie to his dad either. "I understand, but I'm watching the news and this is too noisy. Find something else to do. Or call Scott and fix it." Mr Stilinski turned back to the television and shook his head.

In his room he did a half-ass attempt to tidy a little. He'd sorted the clothes from the dryer and spent a half hour putting them away. It was still fairly early but after trying to get his mind off Derek by surfing the internet for a while, Stiles decided to go to bed.

He checked the window to make sure it was unlatched before he changed into pajama pants and crawled under the covers. He opened the drawer in his nightstand and took a peek at the note before he made himself comfortable.

When he woke up in the morning, Stiles felt rested and content. It lasted for a split second. Derek never showed up. Disappointed by the fact, Stiles dug his face into the pillow and cursed silently. He felt like a fool. In hindsight he decided that it would have been better if he'd just gone over to Scott's house instead.

Stiles dragged himself out of bed and took a long shower. He could of course call Derek and ask him when he'd come? As soon as the thought entered his brain he scrubbed it. He didn't want Derek to know how much he was pining for that knock on the window. He was disturbed by the feelings inside of him. This felt too much like a heartbreak.

The whole weekend went by without a sign. Stiles was cooped up in his room; only leaving for the bare necessities. Scott had called him, but he faked a sore throat and also managed to get his dad to believe he had a fever.

Sunday evening Scott came over for a brief visit. "Man, you look like shit." He stared at Stiles who was huddling under the covers. "I wasn't sure if you were really sick, but now I believe it." Stiles could feel blood rushing to his face. He felt bad lying to Scott. "I'll be fine in the morning. "He croaked out. "It's just a cold."

Monday morning Stiles decided to try to let it go. At school, he pretended that everything was peachy and managed to fool himself for a few hours. Later, at home, he felt exhausted. It was tough shit having to smile and joke around when he was ripped apart on the inside.

As he was getting ready for bed, his dad knocked on the door and came inside. "I have to leave. There has been an accident on the highway. Multiple injuries and possible fatalities." He crossed the floor and peeked out the window. "Probably going to be gone the whole night."

Stiles shrugged. "It's fine. You'll tell me if it's someone we know?" He didn't expect it to be. Nobody he knew would be out on the highway in the middle of the night. "I'm just going to go to bed. I have a test tomorrow and need the sleep." He watched as his dad went back to the door and exited.

He crawled under the covers and as sleep was catching up with him, he could hear the front door slam shut.

It didn't take more that a second before he was ripped out of this half conscious state by a knock on the windowpane. Derek didn't even wait until Stiles got up, he just opened the window and climbed inside.

He moved over to the bed with a smirk on his face and Stiles closed his eyes for a brief moment. When he opened them again, Derek's face was inches away and he sneered before he leaned in closer. Stiles moved back and covered Derek's mouth with his hand. "You don't call, you don't write, do you expect me just to lie here and wait for you forever?"

Derek's hand moved under the blanket as he nodded slowly. "Yeah." His hand was now on Stiles' chest. "That's right."

Stiles scooted backwards to avoid the touch. "Uh, that's so rude. I, I... Where were you?" He wasn't sure if a third-degree was appropriate at the moment. He was still highly intimidated by Derek's presence.

The flash of red in Derek's eyes was becoming a familiar feature but it still scared Stiles. Derek sat down on the edge of the bed and flung the blanket aside. "Around. I had a few things to do." His eyes ran over Stiles' body. "I heard your dad left just now, so now I'm here. Don't you worry. I expect you to be loud and I had to wait for you to be alone."

A shiver went down Stiles' spine. It wasn't solely uncomfortable, but he got slightly annoyed by Derek's words. "I'm not sure I want this weird relationship. I feel like I drew the shortest straw here." He tried to frown, but he was pretty sure that his lip trembled a little too much to make it convincing.

A scoff escaped Derek's throat as he got up and started to undress. "You're already aroused." He nodded towards Stiles' crotch. "You can't fool anybody. And you like the pain." He was almost smiling. Stiles tried to pull on the blanket to cover himself up, but Derek was too fast. It got ripped out of his hands and landed on the floor. "Don't even try."

When Derek crawled naked onto the bed Stiles flinched, but decided to stop questioning himself. Derek was right, he wanted this. He'd been waiting for it for two weeks. Waiting, and pining away. It was very disturbing.

Derek didn't waste any time. Within seconds Stiles was rid of his pajama pants revealing that his dick was way ahead of him. A pair of hands caressed his body making him squirm. Derek was gentle at first but then the touches became more violent and almost bruising.

"Before the night is over you'll beg for it." Derek whispered hoarsely as he let a nail trail a vain on Stiles' cock.

Derek wasn't joking. With skilled hands and tongue he made sure to keep Stiles' on the brink of an orgasm for what felt like a lifetime, never letting him cum. The frustration was overwhelming. Stiles had to bite his lip to avoid screaming for Derek to fuck him. He didn't want him to have the pleasure of being right.

He got a little bit of a break as Derek got out of bed and pulled him up. "Come here." Derek wrapped his arms around him and kissed him letting his hands wander over Stiles' back. "Get down on your knees." The order came abruptly and Stiles didn't react immediately. A push on his shoulders forced him down. Derek's dick was bobbing in front of his face, and he had no idea how to proceed.

Stiles wasn't born yesterday. He was perfectly aware of what Derek wanted from him, but he wasn't sure if he was ready. And anyway, it would be his first time and he worried about doing it wrong. He felt like an idiot staring at that throbbing thing.

"There's never a wrong way." As if Derek had read his thoughts he pushed forward and aimed the head of his cock at Stiles' mouth. Stiles grabbed the base of it and opened his mouth wide. It was a first for everything and with a werewolf's growl in his ears he didn't feel he had much of a choice.

It was weird. The flavor of salty precum and a hint of sweat wasn't as repulsive as he would have thought. Stiles licked the head of Derek's cock and tried to be somewhat sophisticated about it. He held on to the base and tugged a little as an experiment. Derek moaned and pushed forward, but Stiles stood firm. He was not ready for any deep-throating.

Stiles knew that Derek was close. He could hear it and he could feel it, but then Derek pulled back. "I'll return the favor, get in bed." Still that demanding voice. Still that feeling of inferiority. Stiles let himself fall onto the bed with a sigh.

What Derek did to him with his lips and tongue made Stiles almost pass out. At first he didn't even try to hold back, but Derek still managed to prevent him from cumming. It was very frustrating. Stiles needed the release so bad, but a part of his brain wanted to submit to Derek completely, so he fought it just to please him.

A half hour later, Stiles was a mess. He wasn't especially lucid anymore and had completely given himself up to Derek's treatment of him. When he felt a finger up his ass, he hitched his breath. Derek leaned in and gave him a quick kiss. "Did you say something?" The brush of Derek's stubble against his skin gave Stiles goosebumps. He shook his head. "No, but..." He wasn't sure if he was coherent enough to actually speak. In his head he had all these sentences lined up, but they wouldn't come out.

"Please!" Stiles got surprised when he heard his own voice. He'd never meant for the word to slip out. Derek nibbled a little on his neck. "Again. Say it again. Tell me what you want." Derek's words made him squirm. He tried to fight it but then his brain betrayed him once more. "Please, let me... Oh, do it!"

He heard a chuckle and felt Derek's tongue in his ear. "What do you want me to do? Say it!" It wasn't really a question, it was a demand. Stiles had to swallow hard before he blurted it out. "Fuck me! For god's sake just... please!"

The orgasm he experienced when Derek eventually was inside of him made Stiles black out for a moment. He lied there heaving as the world started to catch up with him. He hadn't been aware of it, but now he felt throbbing pain all over.

He was somewhat alert when Derek threw a towel at him. He grabbed it and automatically started to wipe his own stomach. Lifting the towel a little he saw it had bloodstains. Startled by the sight, Stiles tried to examine his own body. Small cuts and bruises was covering his torso, the scars from two weeks ago were almost completely healed, but now he had new ones. They were not as deep, but they were clearly made by claws.

With a sigh he looked up at Derek. "You have to be careful with me. I'm just a human. I don't heal that easily." He pouted a little and looked up. Derek was already dressed and seemed to be ready to go. He scoffed. "I am. This is me being careful." A sneer accompanied the words. "When you're obedient and do as you're told."

Stiles didn't get a chance to comment on it. Derek crawled out the window and was long gone before Stiles managed to compose a sentence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a general outline for the rest of this fic, but since this chapter happened so fast I need help. You Sterek shippers out there have to give me some advice here. This is, as you may know, my first Sterek and I feel I'm a little out on a limb here.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stiles gets tired of it all. Can you blame him?

"What's the matter with you?" Scott gave Stiles a scrutinizing stare before he shook his head and took a bite of his burger. They were sitting in a booth at the burger joint waiting for Allison. Scott had just mentioned that Derek was on his way too and Stiles almost started hyperventilating.

It was five days since he'd seen Derek. The guy had left through the window Monday night, and Stiles had been very disappointed by it. The encounter had been amazing, but he felt it was somewhat cut too short. He'd wanted Derek to stay in bed with him just to cuddle a little, but he'd just rushed off leaving Stiles in pain. A pain that was just as emotional as it was physical.

He knew Derek was in town. Even if he didn't see him, he'd heard the rumors. That he'd possibly show up here, now, was very disturbing. Keeping a straight face was hard enough when it was clear that Scott suspected that something wasn't right. Keeping a straight face when Derek was around would be impossible.

"Oh, I just remembered, I have to get home soon. I have this assignment, history class..." Stiles got cut off. "Seriously! Are you that afraid of him?" Scott rolled his eyes as he picked a pickle out of his burger. "Fuck, I told them no pickles." He looked up at Stiles again. "Why are you so antsy around him. He's not gonna hurt you. You're one of us. Even if you're not... one of us."

Stiles looked down on his meal and swallowed hard. "No, it has nothing to do with that. What are you insinuating? I'm not scared of him." He chuckled a little nervously. "I really do have an assignment." It was true, but he had the whole weekend to do it, and he knew it would take him less than an hour to finish. "I just want to get a head start. And anyway. You and Allison and Derek in the same room... I'm not gonna be... I'm gonna be ignored."

He gave Scott a pout, just for show, before he got up from his seat. "I'd rather hang out with you alone. You can come over later?" Stiles walked towards the door. "It's just... just different. You have Allison and I, I. It's okay." He gave Scott a crocked smile. "Really, this has nothing to do with Derek."

He practically ran out the door leaving a puzzled Scott behind. He didn't try to follow, and Stiles was happy about that. Settled in the driver's seat he heaved his breath. He wasn't sure if Scott believed him. The two of them had been friends for years. Scott knew him better than anyone and was bound to find out that something was up. Stiles wondered what would happen if he told him. He wondered how Scott would react if he revealed everything.

A knock on the window startled him. Allison gave him a bright smile and gestured for him to roll it down. "Hey, are you leaving? I thought..." She pointed to the burger joint. "Is Scott still there?" Stiles nodded and as he was about to confirm it with actual words his mouth fell open when he saw Derek on the sidewalk.

Allison followed his line of view and scoffed. "What's he doing here? He's always trouble." Stiles managed to compose himself somewhat. "I don't know, Scott said he'd come. I don't know why?" He sighed. "And, by the way, yes, Scott is in there. I had to go, sorry. See you guys later." He turned the ignition key and gave Allison a quick smile. It faded as he looked through the windscreen. Derek was standing in front of the car with a smirk on his face.

Revving the engine didn't help. Derek stood firm. He gave Allison a nod as she walked backwards a few steps. "I'm just gonna go inside, to Scott." Then she turned and walked away.

Stiles stared at Derek and hesitated for a split second with his foot on the gas before he resigned and put the car in park. Derek came around and opened the passenger door before he slipped into the seat. "Are you leaving? Thought we were going to hang out?" He put his hand on Stiles' thigh and squeezed it gently.

"I have homework." Stiles didn't look at Derek. "I'm a very busy guy, I can't just hang out with you whenever it suits you." He fiddled a little with the keyring hanging down from the ignition key. Derek's hand moved up his thigh and brushed over the crotch. "No? Thought you wanted more than a nightly visit. I must have got it wrong." A growl came from Derek's throat as he removed his hand.

Stiles still didn't look at him. Technically Derek was correct. Stiles wanted more than that, but he'd never really thought about what he wanted, exactly. "I... I can't." he croaked out. His heart was beating at an insane speed. That gentle touch felt so different now in broad daylight. Even if he could feel that he got slightly aroused from it, it wasn't so much about sex.

When he eventually turned and looked at Derek, he spotted a touch of disappointment in the guy's eyes. It was gone in an instant. Derek sneered and moved to get out of the car. "I suggest you give it a thought." The gaze softened for a bit and he cocked his head. "Tell me what you want."

As Derek exited the car, Stiles could feel his eyes tearing up. He wiped them quickly peeking at Derek to see if he noticed. "What I want? Since when did you care what I want?" He looked down and shook his head. "You don't really care about that, do you? You just take."

He heard a scoff and then Derek leaned back into the car and gave Stiles' cheek a stroke. "Trust me. I care." Then he got out again and slammed the door shut. Stiles didn't look up. He lifted his hand to his own cheek where Derek's had just been. Then he started the car and as he panned the parking lot he noticed that Derek was gone.

Their next encounter was a rushed affair, in the early morning hours, a couple of days later. The sheriff was due home any time, and Derek spent a few minutes prepping Stiles before he just fucked him and left. Feeling used and bruised, Stiles started to question himself. That quickie was not what he'd signed up for.

Derek had asked him what he really wanted, but he never got a chance to tell. Not that he had an answer to that question yet. Okay, yes, he wanted some comforting after sex, but the feelings inside of him was developing into something else. Something he didn't even dare to touch.

The next few weeks things became sort of routine. Stiles knew exactly when to expect Derek to show up. As soon as Mr. Stilinski was out the door to work a night-shift – or if he had to rush out in the middle of the night because of a serious break-in or an accident – the knock on the window came shortly after.

Stiles was left alone, bruised and scarred, as soon as Derek had had his way with him. The question about what Stiles wanted never came up and if he tried to express a suggestion, he got shushed.

Early one Sunday morning, about three weeks after the rendezvous in the car, Stiles mustered up the courage to ask. Derek was about ready to climb out the window when Stiles stepped in front of him, covering the exit.

"Why did you say you care about what I want, when you clearly don't?" Stiles could feel the cold air from the open window on his back and goosebumps appeared all over his body. It wasn't only the chill from the air that caused it. Stiles was terrified at the moment, but he was pretty sure that Derek couldn't hurt him more than he'd already done.

Derek took a step forward and put his hand on Stiles' shoulder. "I do care. It's just," a heavy sigh cut the sentence off. "this is," another sigh came as Derek wrapped his arms around Stiles and pulled him into an embrace. "I'm sorry, I have to go." With a quick move he'd turned them around so Derek had his back towards the window. "Go back to bed." He let go of Stiles and gave him a gentle push before he disappeared.

For the first time since this weird relationship started, Stiles cried himself to sleep. He'd shed a few tears before over it, but this time he couldn't stop. It had nothing to do with the pain from the scars. It had nothing to do with the fact that Derek again had just left. What it boiled down to, the cause for this unstoppable well of tears, was the embrace. The gentleness of it – and he fact that Derek was in a lack of words when he got that direct question – told Stiles that deep down behind that emotionless appearance, Derek really did care.

After a couple of hours of restless sleep, Stiles got out of bed and latched the window. It was gonna stay latched. The thoughts that had entered his mind during these early morning hours were so disturbing that he decided to cut off the relationship. How it was going to work Stiles had no idea about, but he had to rid himself of Derek completely.

He could almost hear his heart break as he made the decision. Knowing for sure that he'd fallen in love with the guy terrified him more than Derek's intimidating look could ever do. Why did he have to ask that question? Why did he force Derek to show emotions that he clearly didn't want to show? So he cared, so what? Derek wasn't in love with him. Derek was just feeding on him for his own pleasure. Maybe he cared on some freaked out level, but there could never be anything more between them than these sordid encounters.

To get his mind off it all he started to tidy his room. The bloodied sheet from their first encounter never came clean, and Stiles had tucked it in the back of his closet. Now he dug it out and carried it into the garage hiding it in one of the boxes with his name on. He'd contemplated on tossing it out, but couldn't make himself do it.

The next week, Stiles spent more time with Scott than he'd done for a while. He managed to keep up appearances and Scott didn't question him about his behavior the last month and a half. He saw Derek a couple of times, but got away before he was spotted. His dad had been home every night, so Stiles knew that Derek wouldn't come around.

On Friday morning, Mr. Stilinski came into the kitchen with a duffel-bag. "I have to go on a seminar. I'll be back on Sunday, don't tear down the house." Stiles startled and turned to stare at his dad. "What? You didn't tell me. What am I gonna do?" The pitch of his own voice disturbed him. He sounded like a scared child.

His dad looked at him puzzled. "I thought you'd be thrilled having the house for yourself. What's up with you? Are you sick?" He walked over to the counter and grabbed himself a cup of coffee. "You've never been scared to be alone. But anyway, have Scott over if it'll make you feel better."

That was actually a good idea. Scott could come over and they could hang out all weekend. Stiles just had to make sure that Derek knew this so he wouldn't come knocking. "Yeah, sure. It's okay. I'm not scared. It's just, I'm just surprised. You didn't tell me."

The first thing Stiles did when he came to school was to ask Scott if he was interested in spending the weekend at his house. Scott lit up and immediately started to plan what they could do. Then his shoulders slumped down. "Fuck it. I promised to hang with Allison on Saturday night. Her father is going to some party and..." he cocked his head. "...you know?" The shy smile Scott threw at Stiles told him more than he wanted to know. "You could both come."

Scott huffed. "Yeah, right. That's what you want? I think not." He chuckled and shook his head. "I'll scramble together some booze and we can hang out tonight. Play games and have a good talk." Stiles sighed and shrugged. A good talk. Like that was going to happen. He suspected that Scott would start asking him questions that he couldn't answer, but he still nodded. "Sounds like a plan. Come over anytime. We can order pizza."

They did have fun. For several hours, Stiles managed to keep Derek out of his head. After eating pizza they slouched on the couch playing video games. Scott had brought a few beers and a half full bottle of vodka, so around ten they were starting to get seriously drunk.

Stiles was pretty sure that Derek could hear them if he was in the vicinity, but he'd put a note on his window just in case. Taped to the pane, it read: "Scott is here. Don't even try." He worried what would happen tomorrow night when he would be alone at home but in his drunken state he managed to push it aside.

"What's been up with you lately?" Scott's question came suddenly as Stiles sifted through his games to find that old Mario Cart disc. "You've been very evasive. Does it have something to do with Lydia?"

Stiles became startled, but managed to compose himself. He hadn't thought about her in what felt like ages. He'd always looked at her as the love of his life, but now that was just a vague memory. He'd seen her around and he still liked her, but for some reason she'd slipped his mind. Some reason? Stiles was perfectly aware about the reason, he'd just not connected the dots until now.

"Uh, I, I've just been preoccupied with stuff." He found the disk and slipped it into the game-console. "It's just, just, Lydia is a lot friendlier now, but I think, I think it's not gonna happen." He walked over to the couch again and slumped down. "I think I need to move on. It's a little sad, but I'll cope."

Scott grabbed the controller and started the game. "So you're over her? Or do you still pine away? I'll pick Mario, your turn." Stiles looked at his friend and shrugged. "Don't know really, I think it's fading. I wouldn't turn her down if she came a-knocking but, yeah, I'm getting over it."

The joy he felt when he realized that he didn't have to lie to his friend was overwhelming. Everything he said was true. Scott mentioning Lydia came as a gift. The reason for not thinking about her lately was disturbing, but as long as he didn't have to lie to his best friend it was satisfying.

"Good. I'm of the same opinion. Let her go. You can do better. Even if she's changed she's still a bitch." Scott chuckled. "You'll find someone else. Someone who appreciates you for who you are. But let's play."

Stiles sighed. He'd already found someone else, but that relationship was also doomed. Scott didn't need to know. It was over. If it was preventable, Derek would never enter this house again. Stiles knew he had to get over it. Werewolf or not, Derek was still a dude. Falling in love with a guy was so not in Stiles' plans for the future. "Yeah, let's play. I'm so gonna beat your ass."

A half hour later they both fell asleep on the couch with the music from the game roaring in their ears.

When the hangover hit them the next morning, Stiles tried to convince Scott to stay as long as possible. With a serious headache and a nausea that threatened to keep Scott in the bathroom forever, he agreed. "Can't go home like this, my mom would have a fit." He called her and told her that he'd go directly to Allison when he left Stiles' house. After ending the call he turned to Stiles. "I wish that we one day could have a double date. I'll help you find someone."

Stiles watched as Scott covered his mouth and ran to the bathroom once more. His friend was seriously hung over. Except for a lurking headache, Stiles was fine. He felt sorry for Scott, not only because he was sick, but even if he didn't lie to him last night, Stiles still felt bad about keeping secrets from him.

When the time for Scott's departure closed in, Stiles started to shiver. Knowing that he'd be alone in the house for about eighteen more hours, he wondered how he could keep Derek away. He wanted to let him in. He wanted him desperately, but it could not continue like this. As he locked the door behind Scott, Stiles decided to stay in the living room. After making sure that his window was still latched, he looked at the note he'd put up and decided to leave it there. It would probably not fool Derek, but at least he might take it as a sign.

Stiles grabbed his blanket and went downstairs to sleep on the couch. If Derek showed up he'd see the note and know that Stiles didn't want him to come inside. He made himself comfortable, and it didn't take more than a few minutes before he was fast asleep.

The sound of the doorbell penetrated his ear and Stiles jumped up from the couch. He looked at the clock. It was almost two, and in his half asleep state, he was pretty sure it was Derek leaning on the button. He had a fight with himself before he ran to the laundry room and closed the door behind him. The sound was somewhat muffled in there and Stiles emptied the hamper, tucking the clothes in the washing machine, and started it to make sure that he wouldn't hear the bell anymore.

It didn't work. He grabbed a pair of socks and used them as earmuffs before he sunk down on the floor. A couple of clean sheets were within reach. He tucked himself in them and tried to ignore the sound.

A few minutes later he felt a vibration in his pocket. His phone was ringing. Stiles picked it out and could see that it was Derek calling him. He pressed the ignore button and tucked it back into his pocket.

When he again felt a vibration he picked it out and noticed that he'd got a text message. With shaking hands he opened the message. "You should let me in. I could always tear down the door, you know."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos are very much appreciated. I hope you guys will hang in there. I can promise that this is a true Sterek fic. It will be better – or worse. I know, you'll see.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The break-up is taking it's toll, but Stiles tries to cope with it. We're taking a detour into Derek's mind before getting too much into Stiles' emotions.

"You should let me in. I could always tear down the door, you know."

Staring at the message Stiles didn't really know what to do. The urge to run to the door and fling it open was overwhelming. Sitting there on the floor in the laundry room, with the vibration of the washing machine caressing his back, he felt like a fool. He had to do something.

Slowly he turned over and on his hands and knees he crawled out into the hall. After a bit of hesitation he got up and walked to the living room. Staring at the door he picked up his phone and typed in a message to Derek. "I can't do this any longer. You're just using me."

Stiles slumped down on the couch and tried to get comfortable. He held on to the phone expecting a quick reply. It didn't come. He fell asleep again, and woke up the next morning by a vibration in his hand. He'd held onto the phone the whole night and clenched it so tight that he had to use his other hand to remove it. He looked at the screen.

"It's okay. I thought you wanted this, but I must have got it wrong. I'll move on."

The words made Stiles hitch his breath. He didn't want Derek to move on. He wanted him to be soft and gentle and cuddly. As soon as the thought had run though his brain Stiles squeezed his eyes shut and tried to force it away. He didn't want to want Derek. He tried to tell himself that this was a good thing. Derek would never knock on that window again. Stiles could sleep through the night without being disturbed by this violent guest.

Being in love with Lydia for years had taught Stiles a few things. One of them was that you can't always get what you want. He was pretty sure that what he wanted from Derek would never happen. He just had to live with that knowledge. The sex had been great and he knew he'd miss it. The bruises? Not so much. But then again. Those rough hands on his skin, the marks from Derek's claws, the bruises from when Derek grabbed him too hard, it had all been a part of an amazing experience. Now, all of it was history and Stiles tried to look at it as a good thing.

He'd move on too. He could find a girl that he could love and who'd love him back. A nice and sweet and gentle girl, one he could hold in his arms and cuddle with. The problem was that when he closed his eyes and tried to picture how it would be, the images was disturbed by the memory of rough hands on his body.

-o-o-o-

Derek left Stiles' house disappointed. He could of course have broken a window or crashed through the door but making a fool of himself had never been in his plans. Sending that text message was so not in his plans either.

When he realized that Stiles wasn't going to let him in he was actually tempted to break down the door. The problem was just that he didn't want to seem needy. Up to this moment Stiles had kept the window unlatched and even if he'd tried to protest to the treatment he'd never really said no.

This – in Stiles' words – weird relationship, had been easy and carefree until the boy had started to question the intentions behind it. Derek didn't want to be questioned about it. Any question required an answer and for once, Derek didn't have any answers.

When he initially sensed that Stiles had sort of a crush on him, Derek had been surprised and taken aback by it. After a while he started looking at the guy differently and then he perched himself on a rooftop near Stiles' house just to listen to his heartbeat and his breath. He'd never allowed himself to question this behavior. Over time it had become some sort of a ritual. Ever so often he'd tried to quit, but then, the next night he found himself back on that same roof.

When he, several nights in a row, just sat there wondering if he should pay Stiles a visit, Derek decided to let it go. Then fate stepped in and changed the scenario. Later events would probably never had happened if he hadn't slipped on that roof-tile. In pain and with the last bit of strength he had, he managed to get to Stiles' window.

Half conscious he'd felt Stiles' hands on his body and it had been extremely arousing. When he came to his senses and was completely healed he wanted to embrace Stiles and thank him. He didn't want to force himself on him. He didn't want to scare him or intimidate him in any way. Good plans doesn't always play out the way they were intended.

Sitting on that bed with Stiles so close, knowing that the boy was aroused by the intimacy, Derek couldn't help himself. The soft and flawless skin under his hands, the inviting lips, Stiles' heartbeat and throbbing cock. All of it was ingredients that made him throw his initial intentions overboard.

It had also been nice to just lie there after and soak in the scent of Stiles' skin - and his shampoo. Stiles had fallen asleep almost instantly, but Derek stayed awake until the first rays of sun emerged over the roof of the neighbor's house. It was on a whim that he wrote the note, before he exited the same way he came in.

He was slightly embarrassed by his own behavior, and tried to ignore the feelings that emerged in him. He went to great efforts to avoid Stiles. He even left town for a while and hooked up with random strangers to get the guy out of his head.

Stiles was just a boy. An innocent, young boy who deserved more than Derek could offer. That he'd practically forced himself on him, tearing his virginity to shreds was troubling. He wanted to apologize. He wanted to soothe Stiles' pain and tell him he was sorry.

He waited for an opportunity when he heard Stiles' dad leave the house. Again his good intentions went down the drain. Derek couldn't make himself show weakness in front of Stiles. He knew for sure that Stiles wanted him, but the guy was scared out of his mind and it surely didn't feel right.

There could never be anything more between them. Derek knew that a relationship with a human was out of the question. It would just be too complicated. The stolen moments at night was all he got. He'd actually tried to take a step to hang out with Stiles on a casual basis, but it hadn't worked out so well.

And now it was over. "I can't do this any longer. You're just using me." The message from Stiles saddened Derek in a way he'd never expected. He decided to leave for a while. This would pass. Stiles would move on and find a girl eventually, or a boy, for that matter.

After leaving Stiles' house he went home to get a couple of hours sleep before he packed a bag and left. The last thing he did was to send a message to Stiles. Then he jumped in the car and took off.

-o-o-o-

Slowly things were starting to get back to normal. The first few days after what felt like a break-up, Stiles had been in a state of mourning. Every night he'd looked out the window and almost expected to see Derek on a rooftop nearby. When he learned that Derek wasn't even in town it added to his sadness. On the other hand, not having to fear for his life and health was a good thing.

The little note Derek had left got crumbled up and tossed out. He didn't want to look at it anymore, he didn't want to be reminded.

Stiles hung out with Scott more than he had done in a long time. Allison and Lydia often joined them and sometimes the rest of the werewolves tagged along. Derek stayed away, but Isaac kept them somewhat updated in his whereabouts. "He needed a vacation." Isaac chuckled. "Don't know for how long." Both Allison and Lydia scoffed. "Vacation from what? It's not like he has a regular job or anything." Allison looked at Isaac and frowned.

"From us, I guess. I think he looks at us as puppies." Isaac threw his hands out. "I mean, I know I can be somewhat out of control from time to time." He panned the rest of the pack. "We're not that easy to train."

Mr Stilinski had only had a couple of night-shifts during the last three weeks. Both times Stiles had stayed at Scott's house. Scott didn't question it, he'd just been happy to hang out with Stiles alone. Other than that his dad had been home every night. No major crimes had occurred so he had no reason to leave the house at night.

Stiles also went back to lacrosse practice. He had skipped it for a while because of his bruised body. He didn't want to undress in front of the others, so he'd decided to take the verbal abuse from their coach. It wasn't like he was getting on the team any time soon anyway. He was still mostly a bench-warmer.

He wasn't fully healed yet but he managed to cover it up somewhat. Scott still noticed the almost faded bruises and cocked his brow. "What happened?" He tried to sneak another peek under the towel Stiles used to cover his chest. "Uh, I, I fell down the stairs." He blushed and tried to turn away but Scott grabbed his arm. "Fell down the stairs? When? How?"

Stiles tried to think fast. Falling down the stairs didn't even sound plausible. "Uh, I, It happened that night we got drunk. I forgot all about it." He managed to avoid Scott's stare and reached for his clothes. Scott nodded slowly. "Okay, did you fall on some steak knives." He pointed to a scar on Stiles' hip. "I noticed a couple more of those."

The scars were to old to be recognized as claw-marks but they were still somewhat hard to explain. "Oh, those? I don't know. I, I can't, It's just a couple of scratches." He couldn't come up with anything and decided to get the conversation on to another track. "Hey, I know we had plans to go to the movies tonight, but unfortunately I'm not able to." He hurried to put his pants and t-shirt on. "I kinda promised to help my dad clean out the garage."

Stiles didn't turn back to Scott until he was fully dressed. "I'm gonna have to be there, I'm afraid he'll throw out all my stuff if I'm not there to stop him." He looked at Scott and gave him a crocked smile. Scott was just staring back at him and cocked his head. "You're lying. Why are you lying to me?" He shook his head and grabbed his bag. "I'm disappointed in you, Stiles. If there's something you don't want to tell me, just say so. Don't lie to me."

All alone in the the locker room Stiles slumped down on a bench and covered his face with his hands. All these lies were starting to haunt him. Again he wondered if he should come clean to Scott. If he should tell him that Derek had caused all his bruises and scars. He hitched his breath and wiped a tear from his cheek. Scott wouldn't understand, no one would understand. He himself couldn't even understand why he'd let himself be treated that way.

And then again, deep down he kind of missed it. Sometimes he felt like the pain inside of him now – when it was over – was worse than the physical pain Derek had inflicted on him. Even if he was scared most of the time in Derek's presence, there was also some gentleness involved. He didn't show it much, but ever so often Stiles had gotten a glimpse of a kinder, more tender Derek.

He sat there for several minutes feeling sorry for himself. He wondered how long it would take to get over it. To get over Derek. He'd done pretty good so far. He'd been sad but managed to cope with it somewhat. Being confronted about the bruises had made it all come back. Stiles realized that his feelings for Derek had not diminished. He'd just hid them well, tucked them into the back of his mind and tried to move on. He wiped another tear and took a deep breath. He had to let it go, nothing good would come out of it. His relationship with Scott was suffering over this too. He decided to try to do some damage control there, concocting an explanation that wasn't as see-through as the lies he'd come up with so far.

Fixing up in the garage with his dad was going to take his mind of this for a while. Stiles got up and walked over to the sink. He looked at himself in the mirror before he splashed some cold water on his face.

When Stiles came home there was a pile of boxes and junk in the driveway. His dad was busy sweeping the floor in the garage and gestured to Stiles to grab the broom. "I threw everything out. Sweep the rest of the floor, I'll start on the boxes."

Stiles dumped his bags by the door to the house and took the broom. His dad started to pull odd items out of the boxes and made three piles. "This we keep." He pointed to the nearest pile. "This we toss, and this," gesturing to a few items on the ground, "we think about."

Stiles just shrugged. As long as he got to have a say in what to get rid of, it wasn't really important how it was sorted. When his dad pulled a bloodstained sheet out, Stiles startled. He'd forgot all about that. "What?" His dad looked at the name on the box. "It's yours, care to explain?" He looked puzzled but there was also a hint of concern in his eyes.

"I, oh, I cut myself. I don't know, it's a long time ago." Stiles wondered what his dad really thought about it. The look he got was scrutinizing. "Stiles, it worries me. Are you one of those kids who cut themselves? Like, are you depressed or something?" He walked over to his son and reached a hand out. "Let me look at your arms?"

Rolling up his sleeves to show his dad the flawless skin, Stiles sighed in relief. "No. It was an accident. I don't cut." He chuckled a little nervously thinking about the scars on his body. "I cut myself shaving." He could feel the blush. There was no way his dad was going to believe that. "I mean, no. I, it was..."

Looking at the sheet again Mr Stilinki shook his head. "Where exactly?" Suddenly he scrunched his face. "Oh, I don't want to know." He walked away and dumped the sheet in the discard pile. "I really don't want to know."

So his dad thought he'd shaved his crotch. It wasn't exactly comfortable to think about, but the truth was even worse. Stiles decided to leave it at that. The only problem was that he wanted to keep that sheet. As his scars healed, this would be the only thing left to remind him of the affair with Derek. He seized the opportunity when his dad went inside to grab a beer. Stiles snatched the sheet out of the pile and folded it nicely before he ran to his room and tucked it under his pillow.

Back outside he took the rest of the stuff they'd decided to get rid off, to the trashcan by the side of the house. Stiles wasn't sure if his dad would even question the disappearance of the sheet but wanted to play it safe.

Two hours later they were done and Stiles was sent out for some take-out. "Whatever you want, Son. You've done a good job." The sheriff slumped down on the couch and turned on the TV. "I prefer a burger or something like that, but you can decide."

Stiles didn't care. He was hungry and it didn't really matter what he ate. Unaware of his own actions he took a detour and drove past Derek's place. The Camaro wasn't there so Stiles figured that he was still not back. He wasn't sure if he was happy about it or not, but the knot I his stomach tightened a little.

Outside the burger joint Stiles had to take a moment to compose himself. He had done so well the last couple of weeks. He'd managed to pretend that everything was peachy and that he was happy about not having to deal with Derek's random visits. Today's events had brought the memories back, and Stiles realized that he missed it. He wanted Derek to come knocking. Fearing for his own sanity he had to admit that he was hopelessly in love with the guy.

That night when he went to bed he clenched the sheet to his chest. It smelt like detergent with a hint of gasoline, probably from being stored in the garage. Stiles tried to remember Derek's scent but couldn't, and it saddened him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, okay, no smut here. But some of you wanted Derek to be nicer. I'm trying. Hope you like. I like comments and kudos. I will not apologize, but I will take suggestions into consideration.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry guys. I didn't plan to make Derek totally unsympathetic, so I hope you'll look at this with understanding. He has needs and can't really get them covered the way he really wants to. No smut, just emotions and disturbing thoughts/actions.

Derek didn't have to make much of a move to get the girl's attention. He'd been to the same bar several nights in a row, and seen the glances she'd sent him from behind the counter. Tonight she was obviously off duty and a subtle nod was all it took to get her to come to his table.

After almost three weeks, barely exchanging a word with a soul, he needed some interaction. Knowing perfectly well that what he really wanted was out of reach, he was more than ready to move on and have some mindless fun. This girl could take his mind off the recent past, and maybe even, for a while, make him forget about the reason for being there in the first place.

It was still early evening and Derek had just arrived at the bar. He was sitting in the same booth he'd been occupying for the last four nights, and when the girl approached he scooted over a little to make room for her next to him.

"You from around here?" Her voice was smooth as silk as she slipped into the booth. He shook his head and grinned. "No, just visiting. A drink?" He gestured for one of the waiters to come over. He ordered a beer for himself before he turned to the girl again. "You?" She didn't answer, but the waiter clearly knew what she wanted because he just nodded. A couple of minutes later he brought the beer and a Mojito to their table.

When Derek left town almost three weeks ago he'd gone to the mountains. He borrowed a cabin from a family friend and stayed there for two whole weeks. He hadn't really asked permission, but he knew where they kept the spare key. They only used it during hunting seasons, so Derek was pretty sure he wouldn't be caught red-handed.

To atone for the intrusion, he did some minor repairs and chopped enough firewood to last them the whole winter. Staying busy he managed to keep Stiles out of his head for the most part. In the dead of the night when he had to get some shuteye, the memories bothered him somewhat, but he forced them away.

Crawling in through that window at night, having his way with Stiles, had been satisfying, although somewhat sordid. Although, as long as Stiles didn't say no to him, he could just pretend that it was a mutual relationship. Derek was perfectly aware that he had the upper hand as long as Stiles kept the window unlatched. And then suddenly, and out of the blue, the guy decided to shut him out.

He wasn't particularly proud of his own behavior that night – or really any night he'd been to that house – but he kind of hoped that Stiles was too scared to even question it. Derek knew perfectly well that things could have worked itself out if he'd taken Stiles' feelings into consideration.

The only thing he had to do was to show a little bit of emotion. He could have stayed for a while longer and comforted the guy after their encounters. Derek sometmes wished he'd done that. It wouldn't have taken much time, but he was afraid that Stiles could get in too deep. Stiles was a human. Derek couldn't possibly get tangled into a serious relationship with a human.

Up in the mountains as the full moon occurred, he got so antsy that he had to go out hunting. The only thing he manage to catch was a rabbit and as he sunk his teeth into the neck of the animal, killing it swiftly, he felt like a fool. Carrying the fluffy thing back to the cabin, Derek decided it was time to leave.

The next day he made rabbit stew before he cleaned up the place. He dug the remains of the bunny down behind the cabin and hit the road. Derek wondered if he should just go back home, but he didn't feel ready to face reality. He was also pretty sure that he had to stay away from his pack in order to avoid Stiles, so he decided to go somewhere else.

He booked a room at a cheap motel, where he spent the days in bed watching crappy movies on pay-per-view. In the evening he went to the local bar. He came before the rush and was always the last one to leave.

Derek knew that he could probably have brought someone to his room every night if he was interested. The local girls – and even a couple of guys – had their eyes on him. Several times he pondered on doing it, but he always ended up drinking too much to really be able to perform. He also worried that in his drunken state he'd do something foolish – like turn.

So, he sat there alone in the booth panning the room. The waiters kept bringing him drinks no matter how drunk he was, because they'd soon learn that he was a good tipper. The girl behind the bar was the only one who actually caught his attention. With her short short hair, she reminded him of a young Sinead O'Connor.

Derek knew that the girl was in her early twenties, but she looked younger. Unlike the other barmaids, with their skimpy outfits, she wore jeans and t-shirts. Derek was perfectly aware of the fact that if he was going to describe her for someone else, it would be as a Stiles with make-up and breasts. With her dark, unplucked eyebrows and her pale narrow lips she could possibly have passed as his sister. But all of that meant nothing. What really made her catch Derek's attention was the glimpse of mischief in her eyes and the cheeky comments she sometimes threw out to the regulars at the bar.

And now she was sitting at his table sipping Mojito out of a straw. "You don't talk much, do you?" She cocked her head and tried to catch Derek's eyes. "I mean, I've seen you here sitting alone every night. The girls are drooling over you." She took another sip from her drink. "You wouldn't even have to chat them up."

Derek took a swig from the pint in his hand before he turned to the girl. "They don't interest me." He sighed heavily before he continued. "You're the only person in here that I would want to have a conversation with."

The girl chuckled. "A conversation? None of these girls want to have a conversation with you." She patted his back. "I think it would be more physical." Derek looked into her eyes. "What about you? What do you want?"

Not another word was uttered between them before they were standing outside the girl's apartment. Derek pinned her to the door and kissed her as she tried to get the key out of her pocket. "I need to see what I'm doing. Sorry." She bent down a little and unlocked the door. They both almost fell inside, but managed to stay on their feet until they hit the couch.

Derek practically ripped the shirt off of her and with skilled hands he had her pants unzipped in an instant. "I don't even know your name." She panted out as she lifted her pelvis off the cushion. "I'm Anna."

Derek pulled back for a split second. "Anna?" he said as he leaned forward again and kissed her. He didn't want to tell her his name. "Does it matter? I'm gonna leave soon." Anna shook her head. "No! It would just be nice to know."

He wanted to turn her over. He wanted to fuck that tight ass, but Derek braced himself. Or he thought he did. When Anna screamed from the top of her lungs Derek startled. He noticed that his claws were dug deep into her skin. He managed to retract them but the damage was already done.

"GET OFF OF ME!" Anna screamed. Derek covered her mouth with his hand and leaned on her till she stopped squirming. There was terror in her eyes. "When I remove my hand you will not scream." He tried to make his voice soothing, but he could hear the growl lurking underneath.

Anna gave him the nearest of a nod she could in her present position. It was really not more than a twitch. Derek removed his hand as he stared into her eyes. "I'm gonna leave now. Forget about me." Before she could get a chance to scream again he was out the door. He knew he'd screwed up majorly. Derek went back to the motel and packed his things before hurried to the reception to pay for the room. Then he jumped in the car and sped out of town.

He didn't know if Anna understood what happened, but if she told her story to anyone the rumors would quickly reach the hunters – the Argents – and Derek would again be chased. He wasn't that far from home, and stories travel fast, so he just had to hope that she never mentioned it to a living soul.

Less than two hours later he was in his loft ,cursing at himself. He'd been too careless. He wished that he'd dealt with all this in a different manner. Last time he left town he'd just hooked up with random people. Always in control, he'd never ever revealed his true form.

Being cooped up in that cabin for a fortnight – experiencing the curse of the full moon in the process – had made him crave the interaction too much. Derek wasn't quite sure, but he worried that he would have killed – or turned – that girl if she hadn't screamed so loud.

He worried about his own sanity. He worried that his instincts had failed him. Derek knew for sure that it had everything to do with this ridiculous relationship he had with Stiles. He didn't want this. He wanted to be carefree and unattached.

In hindsight Derek decided that leaving town had been a bad move. He could have got his piece of ass here. He could have managed to stay under the radar. Stiles wouldn't have had to find out. But so what, what if he did. The guy had literally shut him out. Stiles was done with all this shit and didn't want him to come over anymore.

"Fuck it." Derek flung the tumbler into the wall. Shards off glass and the rest of the whiskey rained down on the floor. He grabbed the bottle and drank from it before he prepared to send it in the same direction as the tumbler. Then he resigned and with a sigh he slumped down on the couch again and took another swig.

After downing the whole bottle Derek grabbed his jacket and decided to go out. He felt restless and he needed to do something. He peeked out the window and panned the neighborhood. It was dark and quiet out there. He checked the time – it was way past midnight – and as he was about to bend down and put his shoes on he threw another glance out.

Furrowing his brows he moved closer to the pane and stared at the car idling by the curb about a block away. That grille was easily recognizable. Even with his heightened senses he was still not able to make out who was in the car, but who else in this town drove a blue jeep?

Derek started pacing. He couldn't go out now. He knew for sure that if he came any closer to Stiles it would be impossible to predict what would happen. Although, Derek had a general idea.

The room was covered in darkness so he was pretty sure that Stiles couldn't possibly have seen him looking out the window. Derek wondered if he hung outside here on a regular basis or if this was a one time thing.

Derek had parked his Camaro in the regular spot and now he regretted it. But still, if Stiles hung out there on the curb because he'd spotted the car it was a little surprising. He couldn't believe that the guy scouted him out. Why would he? Derek pushed the thoughts away. So now Stiles knew that he was back in town, so what? Nothing was going to happen between them regardless. There could be a perfectly innocent explanation for why Stiles was there. Derek squeezed his eyes shut and started to undress. Tomorrow was a new day. He was going to act normal and not give Stiles a second thought.

It took about four seconds for him to discover that it was harder than he anticipated. The only thing on his mind when he fell into a restless sleep was the memories of Stiles' body under his own rough hands. A few minutes later he woke up again. He tried to tune in to the sound that had alerted him.

-o-o-o-

Stiles knew he was behaving like an idiot. The last couple of evenings he'd driven past Derek's place to see if he was back. Yesterday he'd even gone to the Hale-house to look for him. He didn't know why, the whole thing was pointless. What if Derek was back? It wouldn't change a thing.

Earlier this evening he'd been to the skating rink with Scott, Alison and Lydia. After that they'd gone out for a meal and it was pretty late when they eventually parted. Hanging out, the four of them, had stated to be a regular thing. It could probably be perceived as a double date but him and Lydia never held hands or anything.

A couple of times Stiles could have sworn that the girl was flirting with him, but he decided that he must have got it wrong. Also, his crush on Lydia was completely gone so reciprocating was not an option. He looked at her totally different now than before. It was kind of nice. A friendship was developing between them, and he was comfortable in her presence.

Mr Stilinski was working that night so after dropping Scott off at home, Stiles took a drive around town. Well, calling it a drive around town was exaggerating it. It was just that he felt the need to take this little trip around the block where Derek lived. Stiles startled when he noticed the Camaro in front of the building. He had to pull over and take a moment.

He looked up at the only window he could see from where he had stopped. It was completely dark. If Derek was back he was probably fast asleep. It was after all way past midnight. After idling for a few minutes he parked the car and turned off the engine.

Knowing that Derek was so close, his heart started racing. The urge to get out of the car and run to the door was so overwhelming that Stiles had to hold on to the steering wheel for dear life to fight it.

"Stupid idiot, what good could possibly come out of that?" Stiles said to himself as he prepared to pull out in the street again. Somehow – unbeknown to his own consciousness – when his hand reached for the ignition key, instead of turning it, he pulled it out and clenched it in his hand.

It was a short walk over to Derek's car. Stiles let his finger run over the hood. It was dirty. He wiped his finger on his thigh and took a step back. The Camaro looked like it had been driven through mud. Stiles patted the roof as to sooth the thing. "He got rough with you too?" Giggling a little from his own idiocy he peeked up at the window again. It was still dark and uninviting.

Derek could possibly be at a bar nearby. He could be anywhere, really. He moved around pretty fast and didn't always need his wheels to get around.

Stiles jumped up on the sidewalk and hid in the shadows as a car drove by. Being spotted caressing a vehicle was not desired. Someone could think that he was about to steal it – or it's contents.

As soon as the taillights of the passing car had disappeared around a corner, Stiles decided to go back to his jeep and take off. This was just so totally ridiculous that he had to get away from there quickly. It was just this one puzzling thing that bothered him. He was standing only a few feet away from Derek's front door. Normally it would be locked, or at least closed. Now it was slightly ajar. Derek wasn't normally this careless. Something was wrong. Maybe he was injured?

A couple of steps to the left brought him right in front of the door. He pushed it gently. It was well oiled and didn't make a sound as it opened enough for him to slip inside. He ascended the stairs slowly and when he finally arrived outside Derek's apartment he stopped.

Hesitantly he lifted his fist to knock, but then he lowered it. There was no way he was going to do that. What was he thinking? Derek would surely misunderstand. He wouldn't believe that Stiles came because he worried about him – that he worried about that open door.

Stiles chuckled silently to himself. He himself didn't even believe that story. The only thing he really wanted – really craved – at the moment, was for Derek to pull him into an embrace and just hold him. He was pretty sure that it would be misconstrued if he knocked that door and alerted Derek of his presence. This was definitely going to be perceived as nothing but a booty call.

Even if Derek wasn't interested anymore, it would still be hard to explain. Stiles looked down at the floorboards and took a deep breath. He knew he had to talk to Derek at one point, if only for his own sanity, but he'd wait till morning. As the decision was made the door in front of him suddenly opened. Stiles lifted his head and saw Derek take a couple of steps back before he turned around and walked further into the apartment.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I am totally frustrated with this chapter. It just happened. They question themselves. Is this what they want? Later chapters will give answers. So okay, you guys know that their in love, but they don't. Hang in there folks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've learned to love Sterek over time. I perceived Derek as a brute and a emotionless bastard. In canon it really didn't change, but in my headcanon... I'm fighting with myself so it won't be to fluffy. If you can't see it I've succeded. But still... I feel the need to remind you... this is a Sterek fic.

Derek took a few steps back before he turned around and walked away. The door was still wide open and Stiles hesitated for a split second before he stepped inside and closed the door behind him. His whole body was shaking. This was probably the most stupid thing he'd ever done in his life.

On the other hand, Derek knew he was there and running away now wouldn't really change much. The only thing Stiles would achieve was a postponement of the inevitable. He was pretty sure that Derek wouldn't force anything. If Stiles decided to say no, the guy would keep his distance, because so far he'd actually not done anything that Stiles wasn't in on. The only problem was, Stiles didn't know if he could say no.

He waited for what seemed like an eternity before Derek emerged again. The guy walked over to the kitchen counter and picked a bottle of beer out of the fridge. "I could hear you, you know." He had his back turned against Stiles. "From the moment you set your foot on the first step of the stairs." Derek still didn't face him. He took a sip from the bottle. "You want a beer?"

Stiles was completely tongue-tied and had to clear his throat a couple of times before he managed to answer. "Yeah, thanks," he quacked out. He was still standing inches from the door and didn't really dare to move.

Finally Derek turned around. He'd pulled out another beer and padded across the room before he sat down on the couch. "I could bring the beer over to you, but don't you think it would be more comfortable to sit?" He placed the bottle on the table and gestured to Stiles to take it.

Slowly but surely Stiles moved towards the couch. He didn't sit down, he just grabbed the beer and took a big gulp from it. His hand were shaking and he was pretty sure Derek could see it. With a slight tremble in his voice he asked: "Aren't you gonna ask why I'm here?" He lifted his head and finally dared to meet Derek's eyes.

"I know why you're here." A crocked smile appeared on Derek's face for a second. Stiles shook his head. "No, you don't." His voice was still a little shaky. Derek rolled his eyes. "Yes, I do. I really do." He took another swig from the bottle and then he put it on the table. Stiles followed his example as he tried to relax. "I mean, your front door was open, like not even closed..." The information seemed to surprise Derek. "Oh, really. Clumsy of me. I was in a hurry. So what?"

Stiles twisted his hands. "I'm just saying, I kinda worried a little, I was thinking..." A burst of laughter cut him off. Derek threw his head back and laughed out loud. With wide open eyes Stiles stared at the guy. He had no idea what was so funny.

"Stiles, Stiles, Stop this nonsense. If you're trying to tell me that you came here to check my door, you're lying. You couldn't even see my door from where you were parked." Derek was still chuckling. "I told you that I know why you're here, you don't have to make things up."

The heat from the blush was very uncomfortable. So Derek had seen him in the car almost a block away. He probably knew that he sat there for more than fifteen minutes. Stiles wondered if he'd been spotted as he was hanging around the Camaro. "I, I, okay, so you know. Then tell me, because I don't even know."

The tension in his muscles started to bother him now, but Stiles did his best to relax. He grabbed the beer and emptied it in one go before he put the bottle back on the table. He really, really didn't want to hear Derek's explanation. "I mean..." He took a breath but didn't get a chance to continue. Derek shrugged. "Does it matter? Have another beer, and sit down, for crying out loud."

It took a few seconds for Stiles to react, but then he went to the fridge and picked out a beer before he grabbed a chair and pulled it towards the coffee table. He would have wanted to sit on the couch but didn't dare. Derek didn't seem to care. He fiddled a little with the label on the beer bottle before he looked up. "So how's things? Did I miss anything while I was gone?"

The question threw Stiles off for a second. He'd not expected Derek to behave so casual and almost friendly. "Uh, I don't know. No. It's just been... you know. Quiet and," he cocked his head and stared into the air trying to come up with something. "Nothing major. Unless you want a recap of a regular day at school?"

Derek got up and stretched his body making Stiles hitch his breath. Embarrassed by the thoughts that ran through his mind, Stiles concentrated on the beer in his hand to avoid staring. "You?" he managed to croak out. "anything interesting happen on your... trip?" He kept his head down but in the corner of his eye he could see Derek move towards the kitchen area.

"Yeah, well, no." He cracked his knuckles before he leaned on the counter. "I made some new acquaintances. Didn't go well." A humorless chuckle followed the words. Stiles waited for the continuation but nothing came.

"So, did you, I mean... What did you... What happened?" Stiles wasn't sure if he wanted to know. If Derek had been out on a killing-spree it would be better to be left in the dark. When the other guy didn't answer Stiles looked up. Derek was gazing into the air and sighed heavily. "I almost turned accidentally and scared the crap out of this girl."

Stiles startled with surprise. He'd know Derek to be always in control. If he turned by accident he had to have been somewhat distracted. Stiles heart fell when he realized what kind of situations could make Derek lose control. He'd been gone for three weeks. Chances were that he'd been hooking up with someone.

For some odd reason those thoughts had never crossed Stiles' mind while Derek was away. Now he felt jealousy crawling up his spine. Of course the guy had had sex with these new acquaintances. Stiles wanted to leave. He felt like a fool for coming here expecting Derek to have changed. Not so much expecting, maybe, but hoping.

"I had to leave in a hurry and I just hope," Derek shrugged. "I hope she didn't understand what happened." He scoffed and pushed away from the counter. "I'm a little drunk. Emptied a bottle of scotch in frustration."

Stiles blinked and swallowed hard. He realized that he was scared out of his mind. A drunk and frustrated Derek couldn't be good. Although he seemed fine. He looked perfectly calm and collected and if he was seriously drunk it didn't show much.

Derek was suddenly standing behind him and Stiles could feel sweat pouring out. It didn't take more than seconds before the back of his t-shirt was soaked. He closed his eyes and hoped that Derek would be gentle. Stiles knew that he was in a place where nobody could hear him if he screamed.

When Derek's hand landed on his shoulder Stiles held his breath. He felt a quick squeeze. Derek let his hand linger a little before he gave Stiles' neck a stroke. "I need to get some shuteye, you're welcome to stay." He removed his hand and moved to get into Stiles' line of view. "Have another beer if you like."

It took Stiles several minutes to recover. In the meantime Derek had left the room.

Stiles didn't know if he should stay or leave or what. He didn't understand what just happened.

Ever since he met Derek for the first time Stiles had been slightly intimidated by the guy. When he realized that he had a crush on him the fear got worse. He'd still managed to keep up appearances and be himself. He'd been outspoken, solved problems and acted seemingly fearless.

After the unexpected visit a couple of months ago, Stiles had entered into a new reality. Before that he'd been pretty sure that Derek didn't pay much attention to him. Stiles could say whatever he wanted even if he wasn't a part of the pack. As long as Scott protected him and he could be an asset for them he was quite confident. Derek still intimidated him but Stiles had been so sure that the guy didn't really care about him or his cheeky comments.

Realizing that Derek had been more than aware of his existence, Stiles had at first felt invigorated. As the awkward relationship moved on it had felt more and more like a burden.

The moment Stiles admitted to himself that he was in love with this brute, it became impossible for him to handle this lopsided relationship. He wasn't even worried about the scars and the bruises. That Derek only came when Stiles was home alone wasn't really the problem either. What bothered him was simply the fact that Derek left. He just left.

Stiles sat down on the couch in Derek's practically empty loft. He decided to stay for a little while. He was pretty sure that Derek had moved on, which made him confident that he was perfectly safe. On the other hand – it also gave him no reason to be here, but he couldn't help himself.

He wondered if Derek really knew why he came. Stiles suspected that Derek thought he came for the sex. Derek definitely didn't believe that it was because of the unlocked door.

Stiles was pretty sure that Derek didn't understand squat. The only reason for him to mention that girl was to make Stiles aware that he'd moved on. It was the only explanation. He wasn't interested in a relationship. He'd taken advantage of Stiles because he knew that he was ripe and ready to be picked. The moment Stiles questioned it Derek took off.

But still. Tonight Derek had been nice and friendly. For Stiles it was a new experience. Derek had never really been friendly before. Not very anyway. That first night when he held him tight was the only time Stiles could think of.

He decided to have that beer he was offered. Just being here with Derek so close felt good. Even if this thing between them was going nowhere, Stiles tried to soak up as much 'Derek' as he could. One beer and he'd be out of there.

Sitting on the couch with his cellphone as the only entertainment source he soon started yawning. The beer was only half empty, but he had to drive home and didn't want to get too tipsy. He lied down on the couch and stared into the ceiling high above him. It was comfortable, but he knew he had to get up and leave shortly. It was just...

-o-o-o-

Being a werewolf had it's perks. Not that Derek had given it much thought, but he knew. He could sleep for hours if he wanted to, lounging around being lazy for days on end. But it wasn't like he needed it. He could easily go for weeks with only a couple of hours rest in between.

Hangovers was not something he experienced very often either. Thinking back, he couldn't remember having one since that time he got into his fathers liquor-cabinet at the age of twelve.

When he left Stiles alone in the living area it wasn't because he needed to sleep. Derek just felt that he was just a little to drunk to control himself. Two hours later he was awake and practically sober. He stretched and rolled over to sit on the edge of the bed. A whiff of a familiar scent tickled his nostrils and made him smile. He wondered if Stiles was still there or if it was just his scent lingering in the air.

He padded across the floor, opened the door and breathed in through his nose. There was no doubt, the guy was there in the flesh. Derek had to close his eyes for a second when he recognized the scent of that same shampoo from ages ago. From that one time when he'd let his guard down and cuddled up with Stiles.

Way back, when he thought that he could have these casual sexual encounters with Stiles without having to worry about underlying feelings and emotions. It could have continued like that for... forever, maybe, if Stiles hadn't put his foot down and ended it.

In hindsight Derek knew that it was for the best. He'd hated himself for what he did to the guy. There wasn't a sliver of doubt in his mind that Stiles liked the rough action, but Stiles deserved more than Derek could give. And it wasn't like he didn't want to give it to him. Derek was just scared of his own feelings and was afraid that if he gave in he'd never be able to let go.

Listening carefully Derek nodded to himself. Stiles was sleeping soundly. With care he moved swiftly towards the couch. Stiles was in a fetal position, shivering slightly. Derek went back to his room and grabbed the quilt he used as a comforter.

Back at the couch he draped it over Stiles' sleeping body and tried to tuck it around him without waking him up. Satisfied with his work he sat down on a bar-stool next to the kitchen counter. The sound of Stiles relaxed breath and slow heartbeat pleased him.

It was a long time since he'd been in the guy's presence without being bothered by Stiles' fear. Derek didn't want Stiles to be afraid of him. He could perfectly well understand why, and Derek hadn't done a damn thing to change that.

He wanted to go over and cradle Stiles in his arms and tell him that there was nothing to be afraid of. Derek wanted to assure him that he'd never seriously hurt or injure him. The scars and bruises from their sexual encounters aside, Derek wanted to protect Stiles from harm and, and keep him.

Derek shook his head to get those thought out of his mind. It was impossible. As a werewolf he couldn't possibly enter into a serious relationship with a human. It wasn't right. That Scott and Allison were together was more an exception. And anyway, he didn't even know if that was what Stiles wanted either.

The only thing he knew for sure was that Stiles wanted a more mutual agreement between them. That he wanted to have a say in what went on. He wanted Derek to stay for a bit after they had sex and get a little comforting.

Earlier Derek had explained his evasive behavior with the fact that he didn't want Stiles to get in to deep. He scoffed to himself when he realized that it wasn't Stiles' state of mind he worried about. Derek was afraid that he himself would not be able to let go if he let down his guard.

He got off the stool and examined his cupboards and fridge. He needed to get his mind off these ridiculous thoughts. After being gone for three weeks there was really no food in there that was eatable. He found a granola bar and a half empty bottle of apple juice that hadn't gone bad.

Back on the stool he knew he needed to go grocery shopping. There was a 24 hour Quickie mart down the road but he wanted to wait until the supermarket opened. He wanted to get real food, not the overpriced prepacked stuff.

Two hours later he sensed a movement from the couch. Stiles obviously started to wake up. Derek sighed silently. During the course of the night he'd come to a decision. The two of them could be friends. They could hang out on a casual basis and sooner or later all these stupid thoughts about a serious relationship would dwindle away to nothing.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stiles spent the night in Derek's loft and wonders how to deal with the consequences. Derek's behavior is extremely puzzling, but even if Stiles tries, he can not muster up the courage to ask about it. Sorry guys, no smut, just confucion and misunderstandings and a little bit of fluff.

The first thought in Stiles' head as he started to wake up was that it was Saturday. He didn't have to rush out of bed to get ready for school. The second notion that entered his mind was the fact that he was fully dressed. And then, a split second later, as reality hit, his eyes flew open.

He was in Derek's loft. He'd fallen asleep on Derek's couch. A shiver went down his spine. He had to get out of there. He barely dared to move but he had to find out what time it was. He could see that it was light outside but he didn't know if the sun was up yet.

As he reached his hand out to grab the phone from the coffee table he realized that he was tucked in nicely in a multicolored quilt. Knowing what must have happened, it surprised him. He looked at the phone. "Six-thirty," he whispered to himself and then he got startled when he heard the sound of footsteps.

"Awake already? It's early." Derek's voice was coming from somewhere behind him and Stiles tensed up for a second. Then he sighed and managed to relax. He'd been sleeping on the couch for about five hours. Derek had obviously provided him with a blanket during the night, but he had not in any way shape or form tried to take advantage of him. There was no reason to believe that he'd do anything of the sort now.

"I should get back. I mean, before my dad gets home. He'll worry." Stiles didn't turn to look at Derek as he spoke. Actually, he didn't move a muscle more than necessary.

"You can send him a message. I'm going out to get some breakfast." Stiles could hear that Derek moved towards the door as he spoke. "I don't mind if you stay."

Stiles tensed up again and pondered on how to respond. Derek wanted him to stay, or at least he didn't mind if he stayed. Before he got a chance to say anything he heard the door slam shut and he was alone.

Playing with his cellphone for a few minutes he wondered what to do. With a heavy sigh he opened the messages and sent a text to his dad. "I'm at Scott's." He pressed send and leaned back staring into the ceiling. Suddenly realizing what he'd done he wished that he could have unsent it. What if Scott came by his house? What if his dad and Scott met by accident?

Stiles hurried to type another text message. This one went to Scott. "If dad asks, I'm at your place." After that he curled up under the quilt again and started to doze off. He was almost out when it hit him. If the text to his dad was a dumb idea, the message to Scott would definitely bring questions he didn't want to answer. "Idiot!" he said to himself. "Fucking idiot."

Wondering how to do damage control Stiles decided to play it by ear. He realized that no matter what, he didn't want to leave. Nobody needed to know that he'd been there the whole night.

Derek was behaving like a friend. It was slightly disappointing in a weird and twisted way, but being there – not fearing for his life – felt good. In a way he felt safe. He knew it was because he truly believed that Derek had moved on. This was a good thing. This was not something to get upset about. This was what he wanted. A nice Derek.

It felt like he'd made a choice, even if he never got a chance to express it. He'd either have a rough emotionless sex partner or a powerful but nice friend. If he'd ever been asked, he would have said that he wanted his cake and eat it too, but that was obviously out of the question.

A half hour later Derek was back and after pulling out some toiletries from one of the bags he carried, he put orange juice and a jar of peanut butter on the table. After that he made coffee and while it was brewing he turned to Stiles. "Get some plates. I'll take care of the rest."

Stiles flinched when Derek accidentally bumped into him as they set the table together. Derek took a step to the side and sighed. "Don't be scared. I'm not gonna hurt you." He continued with his task without hesitation and Stiles looked at him wide eyed. "I'm not scared." He huffed and rolled his eyes. "You just startled me. I'm perfectly calm."

He could hear a chuckle coming from Derek and the guy looked down and shook his head. "Okay, we can go with that. It's okay." Then he turned abruptly and stepped in front of Stiles. He was so close that Stiles could feel the warmth from the body. Stiles held his breath and started to tremble uncontrollably.

Derek leaned forward a bit. "Not scared at all. I can see that. You're very relaxed, right?" He didn't even try to hide the irony in his voice. Stiles managed to compose himself somewhat and moved away. "That's not fair. You are a werewolf. And you, you..." He sighed heavily. He didn't want to get into the past. This was a friendly breakfast and it had nothing to do with ancient history. Derek didn't pursue it any further either and for the next few minutes they worked together without a word uttered.

The table was set and Derek pulled a few more items out of the bag. "I really don't know what you like to eat, but I needed to stock up anyway." He put cold cuts and a variety of cheeses on the table. Fresh baked croissants and sliced Italian bread got put in a basket, and a broad assortment of condiments were stashed next to it.

Derek went over to the counter and poured coffee into two cups. "Milk? Sugar?" When Stiles didn't answer immediately Derek brought the bowl of sugar and a carton of half-and-half to the table balancing the coffee cups in one hand.

Realizing how hungry he was, Stiles grabbed some bread and started to pile it high with everything. Derek was chewing on a croissant and sipping the steaming hot coffee. "Seriously?" He looked at Stiles' sandwich and chuckled. "You can't wrap your lips over that. It's too big."

It sounded like an innuendo and Stiles blushed. "You have no idea about what I can do." To prove it he opened his mouth wide and managed to take a bite of the sandwich without dropping too much of it's contents on the plate. It was too much. He shewed vigorously so he wouldn't choke on the food but tears welled up in his eyes.

Derek laughed. He laughed out loud in amusement and with a sincerity that was astounding. Stiles had made this sourwolf happy. It felt good. This whole situation felt good. After managing to swallow that big bite Stiles smiled. "You're actually a quite decent host if you put your mind to it." He lifted his sandwich to take another bite. "I could get used to this."

Stiles' widened his eyes. Did he just say that? He lowered his gaze in embarrassment. He didn't plan to say those words and wondered what Derek would think about it. "I mean, I, this is good." He waved his hand in the air causing pickles and slivers of ham to fly out of his sandwich. A jalapeno hit Derek's chin and landed on the plate in front of him.

Stiles looked at it and held his breath. Derek picked it up and popped it in his mouth cocking his head. "I might not be such a good host if my guests throw food scraps at me." He furrowed his brows making Stiles a little tense. "It could hurt my feelings, you know," then he smiled widely and gave Stiles a wink, "or make me think that you want my attention."

Was this the moment he'd been waiting for? Was this the time for Stiles to tell Derek what he really wanted from him? He bit his lip before clearing his throat. "Well, yeah, about that... I, we should really, I mean..." He sighed. "I mean, I'm sorry. You know I didn't mean to hit you with that, right?"

Derek's look was hard to decipher, it was like he tried to read Stiles' mind. For several seconds they stared into each others eyes before Derek suddenly pulled away from the table. "More coffee?"

The moment was over. Stiles shook his head. "No, thanks. I'm good." He concentrated on the food again and indulged himself in the flavors of it.

When the sound of an incoming text message came from his phone, he took a quick peek at it and pushed it away. It was from Scott. Derek looked at him curiously and Stiles rolled his eyes. "Scott wonders where I'm at." he huffed. "I'll tell him later." Or not, he thought to himself. Derek shrugged. "Why not now. He can come over too. There's enough food for him also."

Stiles' heart sunk. He really enjoyed being here alone with Derek, but it was clearly not mutual. Derek wanted to make this a party and invite others. Disappointed he reached for the phone, but then he looked up. "How can I explain it? How can I explain why I'm here this early?"

Derek seemed to think about it for a second. "So don't explain. We're friends, right?" He moved his hand to cover Stiles'. "We can hang out if we want to." Stiles looked at Derek's hand and could feel that he started to tremble a little. He swallowed hard. "Yeah, sure." He wanted Derek to grab it and hold on tight, instead he just kept his hand there, motionless.

When Derek's thumb moved a little stroking the side of Stiles' hand he hitched his breath and pulled away. "I can't. I should go. If you want Scott to come over call him yourself. I need to go." Scrambling to his feet he knocked over the half-and-half in the process. It wasn't completely closed so the contents ran out on the table causing a big mess.

Stiles covered his face with his hands. "I'm sorry. I'll clean it up before I leave." He was about to walk over to the counter to get a rag when Derek got up and grabbed his wrist. "Don't worry about it. I'll fix it." Stiles wanted to throw himself into the guy's arms and stay there, but instead he took a step back. "Derek, I, Don't." He twisted his arm to come loose from the grip, but Derek held on.

"Stiles. Stop." He pulled Stiles closer and let go of the wrist. Then he wrapped his arms around him and squeezed him tight. "Don't worry about the mess. Don't worry about anything." Stiles could feel Derek's hand on his back stroking it gently. He couldn't breathe. Not because he was held to tight, but because he didn't dare. He was afraid that if he moved a muscle this moment would be over.

He had to start breathing again, but other than that he kept completely still. Even if the situation was slightly arousing his dick seemed to be aware of the implications and stayed calm. Stiles wanted to move his arms and ease them around Derek's waist. He wanted to lift his head and look into his eyes, maybe even initiate a kiss, but he did none of those things.

Derek wasn't moving much either. Except for a finger that kept caressing a vertebrae on Stiles' back it was like they were in a freeze frame. His hands started prickling from just hanging there. The tension in his neck began to bother him. A loose thread from the seam on the shoulder on Derek's t-shirt tickled his nose and made him want to sneeze. Stiles fought against all these feelings and stayed put.

He had no idea on how long it had been, when he got startled by his phone ringing. Derek pulled away and rushed towards the kitchen counter where he grabbed a rag to wipe the table with. Stiles reached out for his phone in a kind of trance. It was Scott. He hesitated for a second before he answered. "Hey. What's up?" His own voice sounded weird so he cleared his throat. "I was gonna text you, but..." He couldn't possibly explain at the moment.

"Are you asking me what's up? Back at you. Where the hell are you?" Scott sounded both irritated and confused. Stiles sighed. "I'm at Derek's place." He braced himself for the questions that was bound to come. "Oh, okay? Why?" Scott sounded even more confused now.

Stiles looked at Derek and when the guy gave him a sinister grin he made a quick decision. "I went out to get some food and bumped into him. He invited me for breakfast. Weird, uh?" He paused for a second. "But I'm leaving soon. You want to come over to my place?"

Turned out that Scott had an early date with Allison and couldn't come, but promised to meet up with him later. "Allison is going to visit family with her dad tonight. We can hang out then?" Stiles confirmed that he was fine with that before he hung up.

Derek was sitting at the table obviously busy making a sandwich. He threw a quick peek at Stiles before he again concentrated on the food. "So I guess he's not coming?" It was a more a rhetorical question and Stiles didn't bother to answer. He wanted to continue where they let off but Derek was clearly not interested anymore.

"Ahem." Stiles managed to get Derek's attention. "I think it's better I go now. I mean. I can stay a little longer, of course, but you know?" What there was to know Stiles had no clear idea about. "We could, I mean, I could help... Did you have more coffee?"

Derek gave him a crocked smile and gestured towards the counter. "I think so." Stiles grabbed his cup and walked over to the coffeemaker. This is just stupid, he thought as he filled his cup. He went back to the table and sat down across from Derek. "Uh, Derek? I wonder... Maybe we should talk... about stuff."

Slowly Derek lifted his head and met Stiles' eyes. "Stuff? Economy? Politics? The last episode of Glee? What stuff?" There were no emotions in his voice and Stiles' heart sunk. It was like Derek had forgotten about the moment they just shared. "Oh, nothing. Forget about it. I just thought... No, forget it." He got up. "I should leave."

By the door he turned to Derek again. "I'm leaving. See you around." He tried to sound cheerful and wasn't completely dissatisfied with his own performance. Derek got up from his chair and walked towards him. "Okay. That's fine." He stopped a few feet away. "Don't think too much. Sometimes it's better to go with your gut."

Stiles had no idea what exactly Derek was referring to so he just shrugged. "Yeah, I usually do, why?" Everybody who'd known him for more than a half hour knew that Stiles was impulsive and often acted on pure instinct instead of trying to think about the consequences. More than once had he been threatened by Derek because he'd been too outspoken. So why would Derek say such a thing.

Derek looked down at his feet and threw his hands out. "No reason, just a good advice." He lifted his head and seemed to ponder over something. As Stiles reached for the door handle Derek moved quickly to block the exit. Stiles looked at him and shook his head. For some odd reason he wasn't scared, but this was just silly. If Derek didn't want him to leave, he could just say so.

Derek didn't move and Stiles saw no point in trying to push him away. That would be such an uneven fight, so he just stood there with a lopsided smile waiting for Derek to explain himself.

"I wasn't really addressing you." A little chuckle followed the words. "It was more advice to myself." He reached his hand out and let his fingers wrap around the back of Stiles' neck. With a quick pull of his arm their faces were inches apart. His other hand came up to Stiles' chin and with his thumb he stroke the bottom lip.

This time Stiles dared to move. He lifted his arms and let his hands rest on Derek's hips. Suddenly Derek moved in and kissed him. It was not a passionate mind-blowing kiss that would make your toes curl. It was dry and almost a little clumsy, but it wasn't the kind of kiss you say goodbye to your friend with either.

Before he managed to understand what had happened, Stiles was let go and practically pushed out the door. The door closed and he could hear that Derek locked it. For several seconds Stiles just stood there on the landing utterly confused.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Still no smut. Stiles learns that the feelings he has for Derek might be reciprocated anyway. Maybe it's not love, but it's something. Regardless, Stiles is not able to see a future with Derek and does his best to avoid him, but it's practically impossible. A party at Derek's loft ends abruptly and Stiles finds himself alone with Derek for the first time in a long time.

In a state of shock Stiles descended the stairs and exited the building. He made sure to close the front door behind him before he crossed the street and walked to his car. Settled in the front seat he started to come to his senses, but he could still not understand what happened up there. If he'd been confused and taken aback by Derek's behavior the last few hours, it was nothing compared to what went on in his mind at the moment.

The only thing he managed to understand from all of this, was that Derek wasn't done with him. What was installed for later encounters was still somewhat blurry.

Stiles had always known that their relationship had been somewhat lopsided. He'd never really believed that Derek did this for any other reason than for his own satisfaction. He'd always thought that Derek's feelings for him didn't run particularly deep.

This morning's events threw him off big time. If he'd had a hard time getting over Derek, this made it even worse. Derek's awkward display of emotions was somewhat puzzling, but it gave Stiles hope. Furrowing his brows, he gave it a second thought. Hope of what exactly?

Being in love with Derek was something Stiles had accepted. It was not, however, a desired feeling. He didn't want to feel like this. Not only because Derek was werewolf, but also because he was a dude. It was just too complicated.

Stiles had always considered himself heterosexual. Thinking about it he realized that he'd never really given it a thought. From early on it had always been Lydia. He had never had a crush on anyone but her, and from that he'd just assumed...

Another thing he'd picked up on was that, in Derek's opinion, humans and werewolves weren't supposed to be together. So what about Scott and Allison? They managed just fine, even if Derek didn't approve.

He tried to picture a future where he and Derek were a couple. It was impossible, so what could he really hope for?

What it really boiled down to was that if he entered onto this path, it could only lead to more heartbreak and confusion. Even if Derek showed him some emotion and displayed a genuine interest in comforting him, Stiles could not see that it would change much. Another round of clandestine visits was not desired.

Stiles decided that what happened didn't really change a thing. It was really no big deal and the last couple of weeks he'd managed just fine. There were times that he didn't even think about Derek for hours. He'd had fun with his friends, worked hard at school and done his chores without complaining.

He'd been happy and content. Scott had even commented on it. His friend hadn't mentioned the scars and bruises, he'd never asked Stiles why he'd behaved so strange during the previous weeks. He'd just casually let Stiles know that he was happy about the fact that he was himself again.

Stiles didn't know if Scott suspected that it had anything to do with Derek. He sometimes caught his friend staring at him curiously. If anyone mentioned Derek's name Stiles had done his best to stay composed, but he wasn't sure if he'd been able to fool Scott.

It was a long time ago since Stiles decided that if he ever asked, Scott would get the whole story. He couldn't possibly lie to him anymore. But as days went by without a confrontation, Stiles started to relax about it.

It was only in at night, when he was all alone, that he allowed himself to indulge in the memories. That's when he let his guard down and drove past Derek's place. During late night hours, if he had a hard time falling asleep, he dug out that sheet and clenched it to his chest.

Stiles knew it would take a while to get over it, and he'd accepted that. He'd taken one day at time and discovered that it was possible to push Derek out of his head as long as he stayed busy.

And then this happened. The walls he'd built in his mind to shield himself form it all wasn't more than a house of cards. With what happened there in Derek's loft it felt as if a gust of wind drove through his head and tore it all down.

Stiles knew he had to stay away. He couldn't risk being alone with Derek ever again. Not until he'd gotten over this, anyway. If Derek as much as looked at him weirdly he'd walk away and show him that he was done with the whole ordeal. Deep down he felt somewhat empowered after Derek's display of emotion. He felt he had a better hand now and could possibly be able to control this game. With surprise he discovered that he wasn't even scared anymore.

-o-o-o-o-

Derek didn't know what happened. He leaned on the door and started questioning himself. He couldn't even begin to wrap his mind around it, but what it all boiled down to was the fact that Stiles made him happy. He hadn't really felt happy since, since the fire.

This happiness wasn't pure, though. He'd tainted it with his own desire. Stiles was an innocent victim of Derek's frustration.

It was perfectly clear that Stiles wanted him, and he'd been aware of it for some time. Regardless of this, taking advantage of the young boy was really a crime, and he wished it had never happened

Leaving town hadn't changed anything so doing it again wasn't an option. Derek knew he had to handle it differently this time around.

He had been pretty sure about the reasons for Stiles showing up. The boy had got tangled into this with his heart on his sleeve. He was young and could be confused by his own feelings. With a humorless smile he thought about Stiles as a newly hatched duckling. Derek was his first and now he had imprinted on him.

It would pass. Stiles was smart and as soon as he himself realized that this was going nowhere, he'd move on. In the meantime they could just stay away from each other.

It might not be totally doable, they pretty much hung out with the same people, but Derek decided to start treating Stiles as a friend. Just as a friend. No more innuendos, no flirting or touching. It would be easy. Isaac, Scott and the others would not be able to tell the difference.

-o-o-o-o-

Over the next couple of weeks a few things changed radically. Scott had a fall out with Allison and the two of them decided to take a break. Isaac – who had lived around with different friends and relatives – was now a permanent fixture in Derek's loft. With Allison out of the way for the time being Scott hung out with the werewolves more often, and Stiles always tagged along. Almost every evening they ended up at Derek's playing games or just chilling.

Boyd and Erica crashed there from time to time. Sometimes other wolves were there too. People Stiles didn't know. They always treated him with suspicion but over time they mostly chose to ignore him.

Stiles was never alone with Derek, and they really never talked much either. If Derek addressed him it was only to ask if he wanted a drink or something. And even then it wasn't necessarily directed to him. It was often a general question thrown out to whoever was there at the moment. It seemed like Derek did his best to avoid any one-on-one conversation.

Hanging out with Derek and the pack on a regular basis didn't do Stiles any good when it came to his feelings for the guy. He sometimes considered a change of scenery, but it was almost like he was dragged there by invisible forces. He tried to blame it on Scott for wanting him there, but he knew that he didn't need any coercion.

Stiles was pretty sure that Derek could sense how he was longing for a sign of some sort. He'd been able to sniff out that Stiles was turned on by him ages ago, and back then they didn't even hang out that much.

At home Stiles still had the sheet tucked under his pillow. Sometimes during the night he could have sworn he heard howling nearby, but decided that it was only a figment of his own imagination. He did, however, peek out the window just in case.

It wasn't like he wanted Derek to come sneaking in at night. Stiles was over that part. He'd discovered that he wanted more. He wanted to be able to let Derek in through the front door and not be ashamed about it. He wanted to cuddle up with Derek in front of the TV even if there were other people present. He wanted to laugh with him and tease him. He wanted to be bold and cheeky with him when all their friends were around. Disturbingly enough, he also wanted to feel the pain from Derek's claws and was willing to totally submit to him if they ever ended up in bed together again.

Most of the time he managed to act normal. He threw out stupid comments and made a fool of himself on a regular basis. Every time he spotted a ghost of a smile on Derek's face after he'd delivered a funny line, Stiles felt a flutter in his stomach. But still – after three weeks – there were not a sign to indicate that Derek even remembered what happened the last time they were alone together.

One Friday after school Scott came running towards the car and announced that Derek was throwing a party. "A pack from up north is coming. I think they are relatives of him." Scott looked excited and jumped into the passenger seat with a big grin on his face. "A female Alpha and a couple of cute girls, I've been told."

Stiles looked at him with a frown. "And Allison? Are you guys, like, you know, over?" Even if Stiles felt that Allison took his best friend away, he still liked the two of them together. She was cool and sweet, and … hot.

Scott shrugged. "I don't know. No, but you know... It'll be nice to hang out with a few girls. Erica doesn't count. She is too deep into Boyd, and anyway... she's a bitch." With a sigh he looked over at Stiles. "I want Allison to worry. I'm not gonna... you know. But, oh, I miss her." For a moment he looked really sad but then a smile lit up his face. "It'll be fun. There will be alcohol."

-o-o-o-o-o-

The Alpha was probably around thirty. She was stunningly beautiful and the moment Stiles walked into the room behind Scott she pierced him with her dark, gorgeous eyes. "A human? I'm disappointed in you, Derek. You hang out with humans?" She still had her gaze fixed on Stiles, but her hand stroke Derek's upper arm. They were standing close together by the kitchen counter and she didn't seem to worry one bit about the fact that Stiles could hear her.

Stiles tried to hide behind his friend and pulled on Scott's sleeve. He was pretty sure that Scott had heard her too. "Hey, maybe this was a bad idea. I shouldn't be here." He whispered, knowing perfectly well that the wolves could hear him regardless.

"Bullshit!" Scott dragged him towards the two Alphas and introduced himself and Stiles. "This human is special. He has helped us a lot." He turned to Derek and threw his hands out. "Tell her." Derek looked like he wanted to escape. It was perfectly clear the he was uncomfortable in the situation and it pleased Stiles. He wondered what Derek was going to say.

"It's true, Hester. He is special. One of a kind. I will protect him, so don't even..." Derek was looking at Hester as he spoke, but he threw a quick glance in Stiles' direction. "He's part of the reason we can live here peacefully."

-o-o-o-o-

During the evening Stiles got introduced to her pack. The three boys, in their early twenties, had an obvious crush on their Alpha. Stiles didn't need any werewolf senses to see that. They were practically drooling over her, and when she flirted shamelessly with Derek they seemed to shrink visibly. Stiles felt for them. He knew exactly what they went through.

The other two members of her pack was a couple of twin girls. They shared Hester's features and they behaved like bratty kids. Stiles later learned that they were her nieces. Scott was obviously taken by them but Stiles didn't feel comfortable in their presence and did his best to avoid them. He'd gotten used to hanging around the werewolves but these new acquaintances took his fears to a new level.

Derek had said he'd protect him, but Stiles couldn't see that the guy ever threw a glance his way. When Joy – her name did not fit, she was mostly grumpy – decided to give Stiles a bit of attention, he feared for his life, but no one came to his rescue.

Derek and Hester had their own thing going on, Scott was busy chatting up the other twin – Jade – and Isaac hung with the three boys obviously trying to get their minds off their Alpha. Boyd and Erica had disappeared somewhere and Stiles was pretty sure about what they were doing.

"I'm really not interested." He tried to get up but Joy pinned him down with a hand on his shoulder. "I know what you're thinking, but give it up. Derek's an Alpha, you'll never get him." She tilted her head and stared into his eyes. "If you want to get it on with a werewolf you have to settle for Betas." She stroke his cheek and moved in to kiss him. "I can show you a good time. No strings attached." Joy leaned in and as her lips touched his, a few things changed around them.

"Okay, the party is over." Derek's voice roared through the loft. Everyone in there stared at him in confusion. Isaac took a step towards him and smiled hesitantly. "Uh, what? We're just starting to have fun." He stopped when Derek threw him a piercing stare. "Okay." Isaac withdrew but he looked utterly disappointed.

With a snap of her fingers Hester soon had her pack gathered around her. "I don't know what just happened, but I do understand that we have outstayed our welcome. Come on!"

As they left Derek turned to Isaac and waved his hand in the air. "Go to bed, Stiles and Scott will help me clean up the place." He started collecting empty bottles and cups as if this was a normal end to any party. Isaac was about to protest, but then he walked off with a shrug.

Scott looked just as surprised as the others. He looked at Derek. "I don't know what got into you, but you can't order me around, I'm not part of your pack." He stood firm in the middle of the floor with his arms crossed over his chest.

Derek shook his head. "Sorry. You can go if you want. Stiles and I can fix it." He didn't even look up. "Go!" When Scott made no attempt to leave Derek finally turned to him. "What?" Scott sighed. "If I leave, Stiles leaves."

They both looked at Stiles sitting on the couch. He didn't know what to say. He was still confused about what happened. When the two wolves kept staring he cleared his throat. "I, I can help. My dad doesn't expect me home anyway. He's at work."

Scott rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Suit yourself. I'm leaving." Turning to Derek he frowned. "You've been behaving lite a twat lately. More than usual. I know why. If you... If you..." He sighed heavily and closed his eyes. "If you hurt Stiles in any way shape or form I'll come after you. I'll kill you."

Seconds later Derek and Stiles were the only ones left. Stiles was still sitting on the couch not knowing what to do. Looking at the table filled with empty bottles and bowls of snacks he slowly got up and grabbed a few of them. If Derek wanted him to help, he'd definitely do that. He didn't feel forced to do it. He was not scared of Derek anymore. It was just... He wanted to. If Derek wanted him to help out, he'd do that.

As he walked across the floor towards the kitchen counter, he swallowed hard when he noticed that Derek was standing there staring at him. He put the bottles down and turned to pick up more when Derek stepped in front of him. "Stop it. I can do this myself. I'm quick." His hand came up to Stiles' cheek. "I tried. I failed. I..." He let his hand fall down. "If you want to stay you have to sleep on the couch. I won't bother you."

Stiles was a little drunk, but he knew perfectly well what he was doing. He grabbed Derek's hand and lifted it to his lips. "Only if, only if you sleep there with me."


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Derek has to admit to himself that this realtionship means more to him than it should. The fact that Stiles isn't so scared anymore makes it interesting on a whole new level.

Derek had never thought of himself as a jealous kind of guy, but when one of those twins – Joy? - tried to seduce Stiles, he'd had enough. He was pretty sure that Stiles didn't understand why he threw out the guests, but it really didn't matter.

Hester understood; Derek could see it in her eyes as she left with her pack. The disappointment and the hint of disdain was clearly visible on her face. Derek couldn't care less. He was more concerned about the fact that Scott seemed to be aware of what was going on. He wondered if Stiles had mentioned anything about it to his friend, or if he'd just sensed it on his own.

It really didn't matter at the moment. Derek had made a fool of himself – again – and this time he couldn't easily fix it. He'd overheard what Joy had said to Stiles. He'd overheard her say that he couldn't possibly have a chance with an Alpha. In reality, she was correct. It was frowned upon, but so what? Derek could make his own choices. He could make his own reality. He could...

Watching Stiles getting up from the couch and start picking bottles of the table, Derek wondered if the boy did it because he felt forced to. He listened to Stiles' heartbeat and discovered that even if it wasn't completely relaxed he could not sense any fear from the guy. It surprised him, but he felt pleased by it.

As Stiles was about to head back to the table, Derek grabbed his arm. "Stop it. I can do this myself. I'm quick." He lifted his hand to Stiles' cheek. "I tried. I failed. I... If you want to stay you have to sleep on the couch. I won't bother you."

Derek didn't know what to expect but the reply threw him off big time. Staring into his eyes Stiles grabbed his hand and kissed it. "Only if, only if you sleep there with me."

There wasn't as much as a slight tremor in Stiles' voice. He looked a little flustered, but he didn't avert his gaze for a moment. Derek didn't know what to say. For the first time since, since they met he felt like Stiles had the upper hand. A whole minute went by without a movement from any of them. Then Stiles let go of Derek's hand and sighed. A lopsided smile appeared before he turned around and walked towards the door. "Okay. It's okay."

Derek stood there dumbfounded for a second before he hurried to cover the exit. "No, don't go." He lifted both hands and cupped Stiles' cheeks. "I want you to stay. Please stay," then he leaned in an let their lips meet in a gentle kiss.

When he pulled back Derek could see a hint of mischief in Stiles' eyes, and it surprised him when the boy started laughing. He could feel a blush coming on and he wondered for a moment if he'd been tricked. He narrowed his eyes and let go of Stiles' cheeks. The guy obviously tried his best to compose himself, but he only succeeded partially.

Still chuckling Stiles threw his arms around Derek's neck and clung to him. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to laugh, it's just, just. I was a little nervous and..." He drew his breath. "I didn't, I wasn't sure if... Oh, fuck it." He pulled back a little and licked his lips before he pressed them against Derek's neck.

"I'll find a blanket." Derek gave Stiles' back a quick stroke. "You can use the bathroom first." Stiles let go and smiled shyly before he walked over to the couch and picked up his jacket. "I brought a toothbrush. I didn't know... I thought I was going to Scott's house tonight."

Derek hurried to tidy a little. He knew that Boyd and Erica were occupying his room and pondered about chucking them out of there, but then he decided to let them be. It could possibly get a little embarrassing for everybody involved. Derek picked up all the empty bottles and cups before he grabbed a rag to wipe the table. "I can do that." Stiles was back and took the rag out of his hand. "Get ready for bed, I'll clean up the rest."

Derek shrugged and padded towards the bathroom. He wondered what had gotten into Stiles. The guy seemed so confident and almost presumptuous. It was slightly annoying. Derek wanted to be in charge, but now he felt that he'd lost the momentum.

When Derek came back to the living room, Stiles was staring at the couch. "It's not that big, I mean..." Stiles threw his hands out. "This may not work." Derek shook his head and smiled. "It will, come here." He lied down on his side and scooted back as far as he could, pressing against the back of the couch. Stiles looked at the space between Derek and the edge of the couch. "Okay, it will work, I'm not that big."

It was a tight squeeze but when Stiles was settled with his back against Derek's chest, and Derek wrapped his arm around him it was almost comfortable.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Stiles didn't feel particularly rested when he woke up in the morning. The hangover was manageable but the sleep itself had been a little choppy. He'd been so tense during the night that his whole back was hurting now. Derek had got up a while ago and Stiles didn't know where he was. He'd tried to sneak off the couch without waking Stiles, and Stiles let him believe he managed. It was actually a relief to be left alone. Not because he didn't want Derek there, but he'd been right from the beginning. The couch was too small for two people to sleep comfortably.

It had been impossible to move, not only because he was in danger of falling off, but mostly because Derek held him so tight that any attempt to shift was futile. Stiles wasn't sure if Derek slept at all. Every time he woke up during the night – and it was often – he was pretty sure Derek was awake also.

Pulling the blanket tighter around himself, Stiles decided to try and sleep some more. No matter what would happen between him and Derek from now on it dcould wait. As he huddles under the cover he could hear faint noises in the background. There was the sound of a door opening and closing, water running and imperceptible whispers from somewhere behind him. Stiles didn't want to let it bother him.

But of course it did. Instead of forcing himself to sleep, Stiles started to pay attention to the conversation. "But why is he still here?" It was Isaac. He was still whispering but the pitch of his voice made it audible. A shush that sounded more like a growl was heard, before the conversation again was too faint to make out.

Stiles got extremely curious. He wondered if they were talking about him. He wondered about Derek's reply to the question. There were no time to ponder over it before a loud giggle and a slam of a door broke the almost silence in there.

Seconds later, Erica came through the living area singing on an old show-tune. The singing stopped when she was only a few feet from the couch. "Thanks for letting us use your room. I hope the couch was comfort..." She suddenly went silent. "Oh?" She lowered her voice. "Where did you sleep? I mean... If he's there?" Stiles could see her legs as she rounded the couch and obviously looked at him.

"I didn't... sleep." Derek sighed before he continued. "I need my bed back." Stiles wasn't sure if he could fake it any longer. He was about to alert them that he was awake when Derek again spoke. "Get your asses out of here." And after a little hesitation. "Yeah, you too Isaac."

Isaac was obviously about to protest, but he didn't get very far. "It's okay, he's sleeping. He won't bother me." Now Stiles knew that it was him Derek was referring to so he tried to make his breath sound relaxed and even.

For about ten minutes, Stiles listened to footsteps and whispers before he heard the front door close. He stayed still for another couple of minutes before he slowly lifted his head and looked around. He was alone in the room.

Still a little tired, Stiles looked at the clock. It was almost eight. He figured that Derek had gone to bed in his own room after kicking out the rest of the wolves. Stiles got up and snuck over to the bathroom. If Derek was awake he'd probably hear him regardless, but he still tried to be as quiet as possible.

After peeing and brushing his teeth, Stiles wondered if he should just leave. It was pretty clear to him that Derek didn't mind him being there, but he didn't want to sit there alone just waiting for the guy to come out of his room. He was still tired and contemplated on going back to sleep, but felt he was too antsy to actually succeed.

Derek was obviously not interested in anyone finding out about them. Maybe he was waiting until he was sure that the others had left and then he'd come back? Stiles decided to give him a few minutes. He sat down on the couch and checked his phone. There was a message from his dad telling him to be home by one. There were no explanation, and Stiles didn't want to ask.

Ten minutes later, Derek was still in his room. Stiles started humming a little. If Derek thought he was sleeping it could be a good reason for him to stay away. Nothing happened, so Stiles tried to come up with something that would bring Derek out. The table was empty except for a lonely glass of water. Stiles looked at it for a second before he reached his hand out and pushed it till it fell off. The sound of the glass shattering against the floor was bound to alert Derek that he was awake.

Another few minutes went by. Stiles stared at the door to Derek's room, expecting it to open any second. "Fuck it." Stiles said out loud to himself as he got up to clean up the mess. He wondered why Derek didn't show up, and was afraid that what happened last night was just another display of affection that was going nowhere.

Sick and tired of Derek's wishy-washy behavior, Stiles decided to take matter into his own hands. After picking up all the shards of glass and wiping up the water, he walked straight to the bedroom door. His heart was racing as he turned the knob.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Derek was lying on his bed staring into the air. The room was reeking with sex. He knew he should probably have changed the sheets but instead he just covered it up with the comforter and lied down on top of it.

He could hear Stiles get up and go to the bathroom. He heard him hum – so totally out of tune, it should have been illegal – and he was pretty sure Stiles did it to alert him that he was awake. When the glass shattered, Derek was about to get up but managed to stay put.

There was no doubt in his mind about what would happen if he went out there. Derek knew he would probably just go at it and fuck the guy senseless. It'd been so long and he could hardly contain himself. He was pretty sure Stiles wouldn't protest, even if he had showed no fear lately. The only reason he didn't, was because – and it was slightly disturbing – he felt an urge to caress and comfort Stiles before he had his way with him.

It wasn't only about sex anymore. He couldn't possibly go out there and pretend. Indulged in his own thoughts, Derek didn't even notice that the door opened. He startled when he looked up to see Stiles standing in the doorway.

"I couldn't sleep." Stiles took a few steps forward. "Derek, I understand the deal with the Alphas and humans and... you know, but I..." Before Derek's eyes, Stiles seemed to shrink a couple of inches. It looked like he was in pain and It was impossible to not be affected. Derek rubbed his eyes before he patted the bed. "Come."

Stiles only needed to take one more step before he was close enough to sit down on the edge of the bed. "I just, I, I want you to..." He put his hand on Derek's thigh. "Nobody needs to know. It'll be our secret. We can be good to each other."

When Stiles' hand moved to unbutton his jeans, Derek had to force himself to stay calm. His dick was not paying attention to his mind and it grew slowly inside his boxers as Stiles' fingers touched it briefly.

"I'm not very good at this, as you know." Stiles uttered before he leaned over and put his mouth to Derek's penis through the fabric. "This is my own choice." The words were slightly muffled since Stiles' lips were nipping on the waistband of Derek's underwear.

Stiles' skill-level on blow-jobs could still be improved, but he was definitely determined. The whole scenario in itself was so arousing that Derek had nothing to complain about. The moment Stiles managed to get the suction right, Derek had to push him off as he panted, "No, I'm gonna cum. No." He tried to calm himself.

Stiles looked disappointed but at the same time he seemed extremely pleased with himself. "I think I'm getting the hang of it. And I..." He turned away, blushing. "I think I like it."

All the defenses Derek had built up over the past few weeks crumbled in an instant. The fact that he'd cracked a couple of times and showed Stiles some affection was nothing compared to what happened in his head at the moment. It had nothing to do with the blow-job, but Stiles' boldness regarding it was a trigger.

"Stiles, no! You can do better. You don't want me. I'm gonna hurt you, over and over." Derek grabbed onto Stiles' shoulders and pulled him close. "You have no idea. You should, you should... Oh, crap! I don't want you to go, but you should."

Stiles managed to lift his head a couple of inches off Derek's chest. "You're probably right. But you can't hurt me anymore than you've done already." He tried to catch Derek's eyes. "I'm willing to play this game with your rules. The only demand I'll make is that you don't just leave."

Without warning Derek flipped them over so that he was on top. "I wanted to protect you. But I guess it's too late." His hands trembles slightly as he gently started to undress Stiles. He fought the urge to tear the clothes off, and he managed to go slow.

When Stiles lied there buck naked, Derek hurried to get out of his pants and underwear. With a heavy sigh, he lied down again and moved in for a kiss. "Oh, God, I don't know if..., erm, I will try not to..." He got cut off. Stiles stared up at him as he spoke. "NO! Don't even go there. I told you: Your rules. Please be yourself. The physical pain is... okay." Stiles was blushing but he didn't turn away. "I mean, I, oh just be you."

Derek could not concentrate with Stiles staring like that. He gave the guy a rap on the thigh. "Turn over." When Stiles didn't make any attempt to do so, Derek got a little surprised. If Stiles wanted to play this game, he should at least be able to take a direct order. Suddenly it struck him. Commandingly, he grabbed Stiles' butt-cheek and squeezed as hard as he dared. "Turn, Bitch."

This time Stiles did as he was told and Derek realized that no matter what he did, Stiles was in complete control. It actually felt good. And he realized that this could be an interesting relationship.

He wanted to drag it out, but without any release for weeks, Derek decided to just get it over with. They would have plenty of time to explore this new dynamic. As he prepped Stiles, Derek leaned over. "I'm gonna fuck you now, and you are gonna be a good boy and tell me how much you like it."

With his dick lubed up to the hilt he pushed forward and slid inside with ease. Stiles hitched his breath and whimpered a little but then he pushed back. "You like it rough? Tell me about it." Derek let his nails run over Stiles' back.

Stiles was quiet for another few seconds but as Derek was thrusting into him violently, he started talking frantically. "You're so good for me, ah, oh, yes. I love this, I love what you're doing to me." The moment Derek released his load up Stiles' ass he could hear Stiles panting into the pillow. "I love you."


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They are back together and this time it's different. Stiles is not scared anymore but he feesl that he needs a confidant. When he suspects that Scott knows he wants to reveal it all, but then...
> 
> Derek is questioning the whole deal.

"I have to get back to work and stay. We have a bad case of the flu at the station." Mr Stilinski was busy packing a bag. "I don't even know if I have time to come home until Monday."

Stiles was standing by the kitchen counter eating a sandwich, listening to his dad. "It'll be okay, right?" The sheriff looked at his son with concern. Stiles just shrugged. "Why wouldn't it?" He took another bite and turned to his dad.

"Well, you haven't been home alone in a while. Every time I leave you're at Scott's. I worry about you." He did look worried and Stiles had to smile. He knew exactly what his dad was referring to. It was true. He hadn't been home alone for forever. Of course his dad wondered about it. "Oh, it's just been... I'll be fine."

Stiles moved to sit down by the table but as his ass hit the seat he realized it was a bad idea. His left butt-cheek was bruised badly. Derek had squeezed it too hard. In the heat of the moment Stiles hadn't even thought about it, but now it was impossible to sit comfortably.

There were a few scars on his body also, but they weren't particularly deep. It was more like scratches. Derek had been somewhat gentle. Partly, Stiles guessed, because the whole thing was over too soon. Not that he felt the need to complain. They were both eager for a release after all this time.

Stiles stared into the air and thought about this mornings events. When they lied there after it didn't take long before he started to doze off. With Derek's arms around him he felt safe and comfortable. The pain was bearable, but he worried a little about the continuation. Derek hadn't really prepped him well enough and there was a burning sensation in his ass.

The worries were pushed aside when his phone rang. Stiles was still half asleep when he rushed naked out of the room to pick it up from the coffee table. It was from Scott. "Are you okay? He didn't... Where are you?"

Stiles looked around Derek's loft and sighed. "I just woke up. I'm still at Derek's. I'm fine." He remembered Scott's words from last night and wondered if his friend really knew. If he knew why Derek had been behaving strange and aloof lately. If so, he'd definitely address it. "So when will you leave? We need to talk." Scott sounded a little annoyed and Stiles decided that it was better to get this over with. "Soon, I'm leaving soon. You can come over to my place in a bit. I'll call you."

In Derek's bedroom he lied down and kissed Derek on the cheek. "I have to go. Sorry." Derek looked at him under half lidded eyes. "I understand. I'll see you around." A little smirk appeared. "You're welcome here anytime."

There were no need for a lengthy farewell. They both knew that this wasn't over. This was a new beginning.

Stiles smiled to himself thinking about it. The pain from it bothered him enough to force him out of his seat. It hadn't been a problem as he drove home, but now he was sure that it would be impossible to sit comfortably for a while. It would be somewhat annoying at times but it was also disturbingly arousing. "Why did you even need me to come home if you're leaving now anyway?" He looked at his dad as he padded back to lean on the counter.

Mr Stilinski cocked his brows. "I wanted to make sure you were okay. You have been reluctant to be home alone lately." Then he scoffed and picked up his bag. "And honestly, I wanted to make sure you were alive and well. You have some odd new friends, they concern me."

With a chuckle Stiles looked at his dad. "Oh, they're okay. Don't worry. I can take care of myself." With a little tilt of his head he tried to put up an innocent face. "And you know, if I had some money I'd do even better."

The sheriff pointed to the cupboard. "I left some cash for you there. Usual spot. Don't spend it all in one place." With a quick wave he was out the door.

As soon as he was alone Stiles picked up the phone and called Scott to tell him that he was home. He just got time to jump in the shower and clean up before his friend rang the doorbell. "It's open, I'm getting dressed." He yelled as he entered his room to find some clothes. He looked at the bruise on his butt. I was not particularly visible, but Stiles suspected that it was just a matter of time. A blueish tint was starting to appear.

"So tell me what happened." Scott didn't even wait for Stiles to enter the kitchen before he started his inquiries. Scott had found some Pepsi in the fridge and was no sitting by the kitchen table sipping his drink.

Stiles threw his hands out. He had wanted to tell, but now he wasn't so sure anymore. "Nothing. Derek gave me a blanket and let me sleep on the couch. Nothing happened. He didn't even need me to help clean up." He shrugged and walked over to the kitchen counter.

Scott sighed heavily. "Be careful, Stiles. I'm pretty sure I know what Derek wants from you." He fiddle with the edge of the tablecloth as he looked at Stiles and shook his head. "I'm afraid you'd do something stupid."

The words made Stiles a little nervous. Scott was a werewolf, he could have sensed it. Was it possible that he really knew? "Me, doing something stupid? Me? You know me, I'll be fine." He tried to smile but Scott's expression was a little bit of a hindrance. "Yeah, exactly. I know you. And I know Derek. Don't let him smooth talk you into anything you don't want."

Stiles swallowed hard. This was not going to be easy, but he decided to at least give Scott a little sliver of truth. "I understand what you're thinking, but Derek is being very friendly and I'm sure he wouldn't do... I mean, he, I kinda like him, you know." He closed his eyes and tried to find the right words when Scott slammed his hand onto the table. "Stop! Don't. This is how he's like. He'll coerce you. Like he did with Isaac and Boyd and..." Scott kept shaking his head. "He'll probably make it sound like being a werewolf is a cakewalk, but it isn't."

It was impossible to hold back the laughter. Scott thought Derek wanted Stiles in his pack, that he wanted to turn him. The relief when he realized this made him crack. Stiles clung to the counter and tried to control himself as Scott stared at him wide eyed. "What? What's so funny?" The look on Scott's face made the whole situation even more hilarious and Stiles felt tears welling up in his eyes from laughing so hard.

When he eventually managed to collect himself he smiled at Scott. "I understand, I can understand your thinking." He had to stop to let out a little chuckle. "Don't worry, I will not let him do that." He wondered if Scott would think he had lost it completely, that he'd gone crazy or something. There was a possibility that his friend would demand an explanation to this weird reaction. Stiles twisted his head to try to come up with something.

"What's wrong with you? Are you on something?" Scott looked annoyed. "I mean, it's a genuine concern. If you think Derek wouldn't do it because you are his so called friend, you're delusional." He threw his hands out. "And can you sit down, please. Looks like you're about to flee."

Stiles padded over to the table and pulled a chair out. He sat down on the edge of it trying to avoid putting pressure on his bruised butt-cheek. "I'm sorry, Scott. I just think that if Derek wanted to do that, I'd know."

Shaking his head again Scott gave Stiles a pitying stare. "You're too naive. But at least you're aware now." He put his elbows on the table and leaned his head in his hands. "Anyway, what about last night? Do you know why the party was over so sudden?"

-o-o-o-o-

Scott stayed the whole evening. Since Stiles was unable to give any explanation to why the party ended, they didn't discuss it anymore. Instead they spent time playing games, listening to music and for almost an hour Stiles was forced to listen to Scott's ranting on about his plan to get Allison back.

When they got hungry Stiles made an excuse to avoid going out. He didn't want to sit in the car and definitely he didn't want to sit in a restaurant. The couch was fine, it was soft an cushiony against his butt-cheek. They ended up ordering Chinese, and Scott went out and picked it up.

They were both tired after last night, none of them had really slept much, so when Scott fell asleep on the couch, Stiles decided to let him be. He found a blanket and tucked him in before he put the boxes with leftovers in the fridge and went to bed.

-o-o-o-o-o-

It wasn't so much a knock. It was more a gentle tap. Stiles wasn't even sure where it came from at first. So much time had passed since Derek used to come through his window that he'd totally didn't expect it now. He hurried out of bed to unlatch it and looked at Derek. "You can't come now. Scott is sleeping downstairs." He whispered as Derek lifted a finger to his lips in a silent gesture. "Shh, don't worry." Then he slipped inside and wrapped his arms around Stiles kissing him on the forehead. "We're not gonna wake him up."

Derek pulled away and threw his jacket over the bedpost before he started unbuttoning his pants. "I just want to sleep." With his t-shirt and boxers still on he grabbed Stiles' hand and walked over to the bed. "Just lie down with me."

Under the covers Derek flung his arm over Stiles' torso and pulled him close. Stiles was practically naked except for pajama pants and when Derek's hand rubbed over his naked chest goosebumps appeared. He tried to settle in and get comfortable in Derek's embrace, but it was impossible to not get aroused by the intimacy.

A quick kiss on the cheek was all he got before Derek closed his eyes and seemed to be determined to go to sleep. Oh, how he'd been longing for a moment like this. It couldn't compare with that awkward few hours on Derek's couch. This was actually comfortable. Cuddling up like this was so nice and... not really relaxing.

Stiles couldn't help fantasizing about the thing he would have wanted Derek to do to him if they were alone in the house. He cursed at himself for not having the foresight to send Scott home. Derek lied completely still and his breath was even. He seemed to be sleeping soundly already. In the meantime Stiles' cock had woke up and was on alert.

Very slowly Stiles eased his hand under the covers and inside his own pants. He tried to squeeze his dick into submission, but that only made it worse. He couldn't exactly jerk himself off without Derek noticing, but he felt an intense urge to do something.

He gave his member a gentle tug, staring intently at the guy next to him. There were no reaction so after rubbing his thumb over the head he gave it another tug. He startled when Derek shifted a little but the guy didn't wake up.

He lifted his other hand to his mouth and tried to produce enough saliva to cover them up. Satisfied with his work, he reached his hand down to his own entrance and started rubbing the hole. It was sore from this morning, but the slight pain made it all so much more intense. He managed to get a finger inside and had to bite his lip to cover up a moan.

It wasn't so easy to reach the sweet spot in this position, but just fingering himself with Derek so close was extremely arousing. When he forced the other finger inside he had to stop to take a breath or two. Lube would have been better, but he didn't even know where that little bottle Derek had left behind ages ago, were right now.

He shifted between rubbing his finger over the slit and giving his cock a tug from time to time. When he realized that he was about to cum, he tried to stop. He had to hitch his breath in order to calm down somewhat. He'd had his eyes closed, but now he opened them slightly to check if Derek had heard him.

The smirk on Derek's face was a clear giveaway even if his eyes were still closed. Stiles blushed and froze up. When he felt a hand cover his own around his dick he started moving again and after a few tugs he cummed squeezing his lips together to avoid any noise slipping out between them.

"You do that a lot?" Derek whispered into his ear. Stiles shook his head. "No, well, I do help myself, but..." A tongue in his ear made it a little difficult to continue. "I, I, only when I'm alone." Derek's rubbed one finger over the cum on Stiles' stomach. Then he moved his hand down between Stiles' thighs. He touched the puckered hole. Stiles' fingers were still inside. "And do you think of me when you finger yourself?" Sticky with cum he forced his finger inside next to Stiles'. Stiles whimpered in pain. "Yes, yes I do. Please stop. Scott... you know, he's..."

Derek chuckled silently and twisted his finger slowly. "You started this. Why won't you let me finish?" Crawling in between Stiles' legs Derek scooped up more cum and used it to lube up his own dick. He pulled his finger out and pushed Stiles hand aside. "It'll be fine. He won't hear you." Then he covered Stiles mouth with his hand before he aimed his dick at the entrance and eased himself inside.

Derek moved slow. So slow that Stiles wondered if he was really into it at all. He wondered if Derek did this just because he could, without really craving it himself. Not that he was in any position to ask. He was effectively muted by Derek's hand.

He could of course try to remove it, but instead he reached down and played with his own cock. After a while Derek increased the speed causing the bed to creak a little and Stiles worried that Scott would hear it. Derek seemed to be aware of this and pulled out. "Come on." He pulled Stiles out of bed and turned him around. "Lean on the sill." Stiles did as he was told and before he knew it Derek's cock was back inside of him. Again his mouth got covered and Derek slammed into him with force.

Stiles was now tugging on his own dick knowing that he'd definitely have another orgasm if Derek just gave him a little bit of time. Derek kept hitting Stiles' sweet spot repeatedly as he increased the speed, he was panting heavily but kept the noise on an acceptable level. It was impossible to hold back. With a muffled whimper Stiles gave up and simultaneously he heard a low growl from Derek as he cummed.

"Oh, God, Oh God." Stiles was about to fall down when Derek wrapped his arms around his waist and held him up. "Let's get back in bed." Derek walked backwards with Stiles in his arms. As soon as they were close enough Stiles practically dived in and pulled Derek with. "I can't believe we did that. Were we quiet enough? I don't even know. What if Scott asks?" Stiles stared at Derek as the guy pulled the blanket over them both. "You think? Oh, but it was exciting, I liked it, trying to be quiet, it was..." Suddenly a hand covered his mouth again. "Stop, please stop."

-o-o-o-o-o-

Looking down into Stiles eyes, Derek felt like an idiot. He hadn't come here for sex. He'd wanted to just hold Stiles in his arms and sleep. No questions asked, no explanation. He just felt the urge to comfort the guy and be good to him.

Stiles stared up at him wide-eyed. It looked like he wanted to say something but Derek kept his hand over the guys mouth. "Shh." Derek whispered before he removed it and leaned in for a kiss. "Don't say anything, go to sleep."

Reluctantly Stiles complied and moved to get comfortable. "Sleep tight." The words came out as a huff before the boy closed his eyes. Derek kept looking at him. He wondered how deep Stiles was into this. He wondered if the rushed and orgasm-induced 'I love you' from Stiles this morning was just a heat of the moment thing, or if the guy was falling hard.

Knowing perfectly well that he couldn't possibly reciprocate, Derek felt he was threading on unsafe grounds just being here. It was just, just. He couldn't stay away.

If Stiles was a werewolf it would make things easier. As an Alpha Derek was free to take anyone in his pack as a lover. Getting involved with a human was not desired. An other issue was that Stiles was technically a minor and the sexual relationship between them could possibly land Derek in jail.

Derek chuckled humorlessly to himself. Jail, no. He'd be chased down and killed. Again he looked down at Stiles' relaxed features. This awkward relationship was going to end him. If their secret got out, he'd have to leave. He'd have to move from Beacon Hills and never come back.

He lied down on his back and stared into the ceiling. Was it really worth it?


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stiles is happy. He and Derek have new dynamic and he's satisfied. It's not all good, but he feels in control. When Scott pay him an unexpected visit, he is forced to reconsider a few things.

Getting together with Derek wasn't as easy as he'd have thought. Stiles was a little annoyed with Isaac always hanging around the Alpha. Without Allison glued to his side, Scott came over to Stiles almost every day and effectively prevented Derek from showing up.

After the party when Derek threw everyone out, they hadn't been hanging there for a while. Erica and Boyd were both gone and nobody seemed to care. There was a general concern among them about the Alpha-pack, but for the time being it had been quiet.

Stiles was perfectly aware that they had to keep the relationship a secret, but it was taking it's toll on him. He'd been so over letting Derek in through the window, but he didn't have much of an option if he wanted to be with the guy.

Stiles had been at Derek's place only one time over the last few weeks. Isaac was out and Stiles seized the opportunity to be with Derek alone. They almost got caught in the act – Stiles sprawled out on the bed with his hands tied to the bedposts – but luckily Derek heard the front door and managed to get out of there and act casual.

For a whole hour Stiles lied there unable to do anything, listening to Isaac and Derek talking. The fact that Isaac didn't even smell that he was there was probably just pure luck. Eventually it got quiet and Derek came to untie him. He'd got Isaac out by sending him to the store and after a rushed goodbye, Stiles hurried out of there. After that they decided to meet at Stiles' instead.

It was still different. One evening when Mr. Stilinski left for work, and Stiles was alone, Derek came early and they'd watched a movie together. Cuddled up on the couch, they could be perceived as a normal couple. It was nice, but it only happened that one time. The visits mostly occurred late in the evening and with school the next day, there wasn't really much time. The biggest change was that Derek always spent the night. He also never left in the morning without waking up Stiles to give him a goodbye kiss.

They also got a chance to talk more. Derek shared little snippets of how it was growing up as a werewolf. The secrecy was tough on a young boy. He barely had any friends outside the family. After being forced to kill his girlfriend at fifteen, he'd been reluctant to enter into any relationship at all, especially with a human.

He was still fairly young when he met Kate and believing she was different, he let his guard down. It turned out really bad and trusting humans after that was difficult for him. Getting seriously involved with anyone was something he avoided. He'd settled for random sexual encounters to shield himself from heartbreak.

With Stiles it was different. Derek had not only told him that he trusted him with his life, also his actions showed that. And then still, the bottom line was that they were back to these secret encounters at night. So what if Derek stayed until the crack of dawn? It was still clandestine and sordid.

The love Stiles felt for Derek made him persevere. In spite of the fact that he never really got any confirmation that it was reciprocated, he wanted to believe. He knew for sure that Derek cared about him. He also knew that Derek would protect him from harm if it came to that, but the guy had never used "the l-word". Derek had never ever said anything that would imply that he was in love.

Stiles hadn't really done it either. Except for that heat-of-the-moment thing ages ago, he hadn't dared to reveal how much Derek meant to him. He was afraid that it would scare Derek away.

Not being able to share his thought about this with anyone was also hard. More than once Stiles had contemplated on telling Scott, but every time there was an opportunity, he chickened out. Derek didn't give him any guidelines on this either. Stiles knew that it was supposed to be a secret, but it was different with Scott. He wouldn't tell anyone, but Stiles was afraid that his friend would freak out and not be particularly supportive.

Spring turned into summer, and vacation time was around the corner. Derek came over as often as possible, sometimes also when the sheriff was home, but those nights they just slept and Derek left before the sun was up. He was questioned about his absence from the loft. Isaac often wondered where he spent the night, and he had jokingly suggested that he had a secret lover somewhere in town.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Stiles was still practically asleep when he moved towards the window after he heard a gentle knock. For a second he wondered why Derek didn't just come inside as usual. As he slid the window open and before he even looked up, he suddenly remembered that he'd been cuddled up in Derek's arms moments ago.

"They're back." Scott crawled inside and slumped down on the chair by the desk. "I tried calling you, but you didn't answer." Startled, Stiles turned to the bed and saw it was empty. He had no idea where Derek was. "Eh, I, what? Who?" He paned the room and discovered that Derek's clothes were still there.

Scott didn't notice. "The Alphas. They're back. They are searching for Derek. I can't find him." He shrugged and looked down. "Put something on, I didn't know you use to sleep naked." Stiles reached out for the blanket and wrapped it around himself. "I don't, I mean, I do. What are you talking about? Why are they looking for him?"

He wondered were Derek could be. He could of course have heard Scott coming and was hiding somewhere in the house. Stiles moved over to the pile of clothes on the floor to cover them up. Scott stared into the air and shook his head. "Don't know. Because he's an Alpha? I think they want him to join their pack."

Wrapped in the blanket, Stiles wondered if he should just pick up Derek's things and make an excuse to leave the room. He didn't count on his friends heightened senses. Suddenly Scott turned to him and stared into his eyes. "I can smell him. Was he here?" He narrowed his eyes and took another whiff. "I can smell..." He looked at the bed and then he turned back to Stiles. The disbelief in his face was clearly visible. "Stiles? No! What is going on?"

Stiles didn't know what to say. He stared at his friend. If the floor had opened up and swallowed him it would have been great. "Nothing. Nothing's going on." There was a slight tremble in his voice and he knew that Scott wouldn't be fooled. "What did he do to you? I'll kill him." Scott got up from the chair and clenched his hands into fists.

"No, Scott. I don't know what you're thinking, but no." Stiles knew exactly what Scott was thinking. He also knew that this attempt to act stupid was futile. "I mean, oh." He heard the door to his room open and knew it was Derek.

He turned his head slightly. Derek had wrapped a towel around his waist and held it up with one hand. With the other, he picked the clothes up from the floor. "It's pointless. He knows. Just as well give him the truth."

Standing between the two wolves didn't seem like the best position to be in. Stiles could see that Scott was about to turn and attack. For a moment he wanted to flee, but then he took a step forward making sure that Derek was right behind him. "Stop! Scott! Relax. It's okay. Please sit."

An actual punch couldn't have changed the expression on Scott's face. He looked so flabbergasted when the truth sank in that Stiles was afraid his friend would pass out. "I wanted to tell you but..." Stiles rubbed his forehead as it would help him find words.

Scott stood there frozen for a second. "What did he do to you? It was him, wasn't it? The bruises?"

Again his face hardened and he fixed his gaze on Derek. "I don't know how, but I will kill you." Stiles took another step forward and grabbed Scott's arm. "Scott, please. He didn't do anything I didn't want. I, we, we have a thing. It's mutual." He tried to look for understanding in the face in front of him, but if possible, the guy seemed even more confused. "I wanted to tell you, but I was afraid you wouldn't understand. We, me and Derek, are, we have, we're friends with benefits." He wanted to say that they were a couple but he wasn't sure if that was the case.

The silence in the room was painstaking until Scott sank down on the chair. "But you, I mean, are you gay? Not that it's anything wrong with that, but, you know." He threw his hands out and sighed. "And he hurts you. You had scars. How can that be mutual." Stiles chuckled a little causing Scott to look at him puzzled. "Why is that funny?" He shook his head and Stiles smiled. "It is actually. It was an accident, or, no, it was just, he kinda wolfed out a little." He spoke as if Derek was not still standing by the door listening. Now he sat down on the bed and started to get dressed.

Both Stiles and Scott turned to him. With a lopsided smile, he looked at Stiles fondly. "Friends with benefits? Yeah, okay, if that's what you want to call it." He bent down to pick up his socks. "I would say it's a little bit more to it than that." He didn't say another word until he had his socks on and got up to fetch his shoes. "I should probably leave now." He rounded the bed and grabbed onto Stiles' shoulders. "See you around," he said as he leaned in and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. Stiles had to hold on to the blanket with one hand but the other he wrapped around Derek's waist. "You can do better than that." Then he opened his mouth slightly and kissed Derek back with passion.

A grunt from behind Stiles made them pull apart and soon after Derek was gone.

The next few seconds Stiles just stood there smiling to himself. All he could think of was what Derek had said before got up to leave. He considered this relationship to be more than just friendly. More than just friends having sex. Stiles heart skipped a beat in sheer joy.

"Ahem." Scott exclaimed, and Stiles suddenly remembered that this as far from over. He turned slowly towards his friend and swallowed hard. This was not going to be easy. He wasn't sure if Scott was still angry, the deadpan expression on his face was impossible to read.

"I'm sorry. I..."Stiles walked over to the bed and sat down. "I'm sure you can understand why this is difficult to talk about. I wanted to tell you, I really did, but I didn't know where to start." Scott was still staring at him, but didn't say a word. "I'm not sure if I want you to comment on it. I think you're mad and disappointed. But believe me, I wanted to tell you."

Scott shook his head and fixed his gaze somewhere behind Stiles. "How long? For how long has this been going on?" He looked pained but managed to stay calm. Stiles cleared his throat and twisted his hands. "Eh, I, we, well it started, I mean, really not more than a few weeks."

Finally Scott looked straight at him. "A few weeks? Those claw-marks – they were claw-marks, right – they were there more than two months ago." The stare was intimidating to say the least, and Stiles knew he had to explain that fact. "Well, yeah, there was, we kinda, oh, it started almost four months ago." Scott's eyes widened but he didn't interrupt. "Back then it was, it didn't... it lasted for a while but, uh, I broke it off. Derek behaved like a jerk."

For almost a minute it was completely silent in the room, and then Scott leaned forward. "Because he hurt you?" The concern in Scott's expression was genuine, and Stiles felt a little embarrassed. "No, that was, it was not like that, no. That was... is nothing to worry about." Stiles twisted his hands and searched for the right words. "I didn't even notice. I just thought he didn't care about me, but now I know that he does. He changed."

Again this scrutinizing stare. "Changed? He changed? Come on, Derek is still a sociopath, he's still a jerk. I mean, he's a friend, but, come on." Scott rolled his eyes. "And he's a guy, for crying out loud." He shook his head and looked down on the floor.

"Oh, yeah, that. I, I don't know how that works." Stiles shrugged. "It's just..." It wasn't easy to explain, and he couldn't make himself say the words that were struggling to get out. The fact was that he was in love and wanted Derek with every fiber of his being.

"You're scared of him, he's using you because you're too afraid to stop him." Scott's expression had now changed from quizzical to concern. "Wake up, I'll protect you. Don't let him do this to you."

Stiles had to smile. He took a breath before he again met Stott's eyes. "I'm not afraid. He doesn't scare me anymore. He's sweet and gentle and I, I." For a second he had to close his eyes. "I'm in love with him"

Scott got startled. "What? No? This is an alternate reality, please pinch me, you can't be serious?" He actually did pinch himself as for show. "You're delusional."

Not knowing how to make Scott understand, Stiles searched for words. "I, I am serious. Maybe it, it may not last forever, but this is now, and this is how I feel. I don't know if he... Maybe he... I don't know if he's in love, but he might be. I'm willing to take my chances. It's all good and I am in control."

It was obvious that Scott didn't believe that, but his friend's face softened a little. "I feel sorry for you. I'll be a friend and I'll pick up the pieces when all this shit hits the fan. In the meantime I need to digest this. It's very disturbing."

Stiles nodded and with a sigh he looked at Scott. "The only thing I ask for is an open mind. Oh, and that we, we can still be best friends." With a huff he continued. "And one more thing. You can't tell anyone."

Scott had leaned forward and had his elbows on his knees, cupping his own cheeks in the palms of his hands. He cocked his head slightly and squinted. "Are you happy? You've actually looked happy lately."

"I am happy. For the most part." Stiles nodded slowly. "The secrecy is, it's bothering me, but we can't..." He shrugged and gave Scott a tentative smile. "Not until I turn eighteen. It's too dangerous for him." Scott's expression changed. His features softened and it looked like he was getting the message. That he started to believe that this was real, and that Stiles needed his best friend's support.

"Okay, okay. I see. I don't know if I can wrap my mind around this right now, but I will try. And I'm sorry to say this, but I need to see this changed Derek with my own eyes before I truly believe." Scott's words was heartwarming. Stiles hadn't expected him to rejoice, and he'd been afraid that their friendship would suffer, but now there was actually hope that everything would work out fine. "I'm not asking for more. Take your time."

Scott huffed. "I'll definitely need time, this is so way out of... I couldn't even, I don't know how I couldn't sense this." When Stiles started laughing, Scott looked up and stared at him. "I still don't find it particularly funny." He rolled his eyes, but there was a little smile tugging his lips.

"I really thought you were on to this a few weeks ago. You know, after that infamous party? You thought he wanted to turn me, remember?" Stiles looked at Scott for confirmation and when his friend nodded, he continued. "I thought you were talking about him wanting to... uh, you know, eh..." Another nod and Stiles was happy he didn't have to explain it any further. "I was about to tell you then. I wanted to, but when I realized that you were on a totally different page I chickened out...again."

It felt good to tell his friend, but Stiles sensed that there was something bothering him. "What? Just say it." Scott gave him a lopsided smile. "And yet he just left. He left you to deal with me alone."

"Oh, that. Yeah, he always leaves before dad gets home. It's safer. And anyway, you did threaten to kill him." Stiles had been a little disappointed about Derek's sudden departure, but it was explainable. "He's a shy guy, you know. And he probably figured that it would be easier for me to talk with you without him around."

Scott did not look convinced. "Lame excuses, but okay, I'll give him the benefit of the doubt. We'll see." He got up from the chair and moved towards the window. "I should leave. I won't tell, but I'll keep an eye on him. If he hurts you... I mean. I understand the secrecy, but he could have stood by you. He could have tried to convince me that he is serious about this before he left. Your dad won't be home for another couple of hours. I don't want to be a party-pooper, but I'm just saying."

Inside Stiles knew that Scott made sense, but he didn't want to believe that Derek left because he didn't want to be confronted. He'd been so sure about Derek's feelings, but now there was an uncomfortable sliver of doubt crawling up his spine. What if all this was an act? Could it be that Derek faked compassion just to get what he wanted?

"I have to go. I only came because I was looking for Derek. To warn him. I really didn't expect to find him here, it was just... I thought maybe you could have a clue to his whereabouts. I didn't believe so, but I had to try." Scott shook his head. "I really, really didn't expect it." He waved goodbye and exited.

Stiles couldn't sleep. In his head he went through every conversation, every gesture, every little sign he'd got from Derek. It was real! This relationship was not one-sided! Derek had really showed that he cared! The last few weeks had been wonderful. Secrecy aside, they shared a bond; a mutual bond. Even if Derek wasn't in love, he'd said that this was more than just friends having sex. As night turned into morning, Stiles wondered how good of an actor Derek was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There will be a new development in this story and I will give my friend Mike kudos for helping me with this. I hope you'll support what's to come.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I may have over-exaggerated the new development, but it's definitely knew to me. Wolf-fights and life and death situations are not something I've written about before. Thanks Mike.
> 
> Scott, enraged by the irresponsible actions of Derek, decides to confront him head on. They also discover that the secret is not so much of a secret anyway. The next morning Stiles wakes up to startling news. Derek makes a huge mistake and is forced to admit that the relationship he has with Stiles means more to him than life itself.

Derek knew what was coming long before he heard the banging on the door. He went to unlock it and before he managed to step to the side, Scott flung it open slamming into Derek's shoulder. "You have some explaining to do. What the f..."

Derek rubbed his shoulder and took a few steps back before he turned and headed for the kitchen counter. He'd been expecting this. Scott would never just let this pass. "Have a seat. I can make coffee? Or do you want something stronger?" He sensed that Scott got a little thrown off by this casual behavior and he had to smile to himself.

It didn't take long for Scott to get back on task. "No, I don't want anything but an explanation." He came closer but stopped in the middle of the floor. "You can't do this to him, he is... You're gonna hurt him."

Derek turned to face Scott and wondered what kind of approach to use. "I will never hurt him. I care about him." He leaned on the counter and closed his eyes for a second. He did hurt Stiles on a regular basis, but he was pretty sure that Scott was not talking about that kind of pain.

"You care about him? Enough to take off when things get tough. I'm sure he could have needed you there when he had to explain it to me." Scott was clearly both annoyed and angry. Derek could understand that. He'd not been proud of the fact that he departed in the middle of it.

"I'm sorry you feel like that. I just thought it would be easier for him to talk with you alone." Derek shrugged and tried on a little smile. Scott huffed. "Maybe so, but regardless... you should have stood by him, that's what a, a, uh, a boyfriend does." His face started to turn red and Derek had to chuckle. "Boyfriend, eh? That's what he said?"

Scott shook his head. "No, he said, you heard him. Friend with benefits." Suddenly Scott bent his head down and rubbed his forehead. "I shouldn't say this, but he's falling for you. He thinks he's in love. You can't do this to him." It looked like the guy had tears in his eyes and Derek stared at him wide-eyed. Part of him felt extremely happy about this revelation. On the other hand it was disturbing. He'd suspected this, but Stiles had kept his cards close to the chest.

To buy himself some time Derek turned and looked into the fridge for something to drink. He grabbed a beer, but then he put it back and picked up a bottle of orange juice instead. When he again looked at Scott, the guy was still standing in the same spot, but now he had his head cocked and was squinting at Derek. "You didn't know. And now you're conflicted. It pleases me that you at least seem to have a conscience."

Derek nodded. "I think you're right, I should probably end it." He walked over to the couch and slumped down. "He's a human. He knows that it's, this is not going to last. I should find a mate of my own kind." He looked up. "So should you."

-o-o-o-o-o-

Derek's words didn't sink in at first. The relationship – or lack of at the moment – Scott had with Allison, had nothing to do with the issue at hand. He was about to address this when it hit him. It really was related. If he was going to force an end to the Stiles and Derek connection, he had to look at himself first.

"We're not together anymore. Me and Allison broke up." Scott decided to put that fact up as a shield. "I might look for someone else." He could see that Derek wasn't convinced and the guy shook his head. "You're not gonna. This hiatus in your relationship is going to pass. She's your mate, you chose her."

Scott knew what Derek was referring to. The wolf in him was bonded with Allison. He could not let her go unless she made the choice. If Derek knew this, why did he tell him to find someone else? "If this is so, why do you even suggest that I find someone my own kind?"

The smirk on Derek's face told the whole story, and Scott felt instantly embarrassed. It didn't last long though, there were still a few differences. "He's young and vulnerable. Stiles has only had one crush in his life." He made a pause for effect. "And that was a girl."

When Derek didn't make any attempt to comment on this Scott continued. "And you, you, you're not in love. You don't look at him as your mate. He's a guy for crying out loud." Satisfied with his own rationalization, he crossed his arms over his chest and stared at Derek.

Derek looked up and scoffed. "That, my friend, has never bothered me. Ever. And it doesn't seem to bother Stiles either." He squinted and tilted his head to the side. "Is that what it boils down to? Not that your best friend is hooking up with a werewolf, but that it's a guy?" Derek kept staring and Scott started to feel slightly uncomfortable.

"No, no that's not it." Scott himself didn't believe the words that came out of his mouth and it bothered him. He'd never been homophobic. He'd been in the shower after lacrosse practice with Danny and never even given it a second thought. It startled him to discover that this was still part of his reluctance to understand what was going on between the two.

"Regardless. Stiles is a minor. And may I repeat myself: he is falling for you and you're just playing with him." Scott tried to cover up the embarrassment he felt with a frown. Derek didn't seem to be bothered. "A minor? You and Allison are minors too. But that issue will resolve itself. It just a matter of time, and not that long either." He grabbed the juice bottle and lifted it to his lips. "And what do you know about my feelings? Maybe I'm not playing a game here. Maybe I'm all in."

They have both been too busy with the conversation to notice that Isaac had entered the apartment. "Finally! The confrontation! It was about time. I could almost not take it any longer." The guy strolled past them and looked in the fridge.

Both Scott and Derek stared at him. Scott was the first one to react. "What are you talking about? You know? You know about them?"

"Bah, you serious? He comes home reeking of Stiles. I know he tries to clean it off but, come on!" Isaac looked at Derek and smirked. "You really thought I was that stupid? I just... I figured you'd tell as soon as you're ready." He sat down on a stool and chuckled as he turned to Scott. "And Derek is very possessive and jealous. I think it's love."

-o-o-o-o-o-

Derek wanted to punch the guy, but what would be the point in that. "I'm not jealous, what are you talking about? And what reason would I have?" He knew exactly what Isaac was talking about, but tried to downplay it.

Still turned to Scott Isaac continued. "Remember the party? I know why it ended so abruptly. Joy was flirting with Stiles and Derek freaked out." He threw a quick glance in Derek's direction. "Isn't that right? I suspected this already back then, so I was keeping my senses on alert."

Derek jumped up from the couch and walked slowly over to Isaac. "You don't know nothing. Shut the fuck up and go to your room." When Isaac didn't move, Derek grabbed him by the throat. "Go! I'll deal with you later."

Knowing perfectly well that he's made a fool of himself, he watched as Isaac scooted towards his sleeping quarters. "You're losing it, Derek. I'm the only one left. What is an Alpha without a pack?" Just before he entered his room he looked at Scott. "Join us, Scott, we need you. Derek needs you." he took another step before he turned around again. "Stiles will become one of us. Its' just a matter of time."

When the door slammed shut behind Isaac, Scott stared at Derek. "I could possibly try to accept that there's something between you and Stiles, but if you turn him... I, I'll never forgive you. I'll hunt you down." He shook his head and walked towards the door. "I will never join your pack. And if it's true, that you're losing it, I will sit down and watch as it happens. I'll even bring popcorn."

-o-o-o-o-o-

The phone rang too early. Stiles just reached his hand out and grabbed it not even looking at the caller ID before he pressed the answer button. "Stiles, are you awake?" It was his dad, and he sounded a bit distressed. Stiles sat up and cleared his throat. "Sure, what's up?" It was not even eight o'clock on a Sunday morning so it had to be important.

"Allison Argent is missing." A heavy sigh followed the words before he continued. "Chris didn't know for how long. Ten hours at the most, so we can't really start a case on it yet, but I thought you might now something."

Wide awake, Stiles got out of bed and started pacing. "No, I don't know. Did you get a hold of Scott?" It wasn't that long since Scott left his room, and Stiles was pretty sure that his friend had nothing to do with her disappearance. "He didn't answer his phone. Maybe you can get a hold of him?" The sheriff sounded a little more collected, now and Stiles promised to do his best before he hung up. He hurried to get dressed while he ever so often tried Scott's number. It went straight to voice-mail every time, but he didn't give up. Only fifteen minutes later, he was in the car on his way to his friend's house.

Eventually Stiles decided to try Derek. If it was true. If Allison was really missing Derek could help find her. He answered immediately, and Stiles told him the news. They decided to meet at Scott's house and take it from there.

Mrs. McCall's car was not in the driveway, so Stiles dug out the spare key from under the flower pot by the door and entered the house without hesitation. "SCOTT, YOU HOME?" He rushed through the house, and met a tired and confused Scott in the hall. "What? What's going on?"

As he was about to tell, Derek and Isaac came up behind him and Scott looked even more confused. When he heard the news, he looked scared. "The Alphas. She's a hunter. Could they have... No? Oh, no. Not Allison." It looked like he was about to fall over, but Derek reached his hand out and grabbed him. "We can track her. We'll find her." He led Scott towards a chair, and urged him to sit down. "We'll find her." He repeated as he looked at Stiles and Isaac and nodded.

"We can split up and search. You guys can use your wolf senses to track her and I can... I can... just look for her." Stiles was eager to get started and looked at the others. Derek shook his head. "You will do nothing of the sort! We will trace her and you'll stay out of it!" He lifted his hand and stroke Stiles' cheek. "You can meet up with your dad and find out what he knows." Stiles pulled away a little embarrassed. He threw a quick glance at Isaac. "You can't order me around." He frowned and took another step back. Derek chuckled humorlessly. "I can, and I will. You will not put yourself in danger, I won't allow it."

Stiles let his gaze shift between the three wolves. Derek looked determined. Scott was still in shock, and Isaac was staring at the floor smiling. "He's right. If it's the Alphas, you better leave it to us. You should listen to your boyfriend." Isaac's smile turned into a smirk. "Yeah, I know. Deal with it."

-o-o-o-o-o-

About fifteen minutes after they split up Stiles called Derek to tell him that Chris had told the the sheriff that Allison had been doing some target practice last night. Chris himself had searched the area, but hadn't found a trace of her. That's when he contacted the police. According to him, she'd probably been gone for about twelve hours. Derek had a general idea of where she usually went, and decided to head towards the edge of the woods.

It didn't take long before he caught her scent and traced her to an abandoned farm building. He hid between the trees and tried to keep a safe distance. When he was sure that Allison was there, Derek made a quick call. "Hey, think I've found her, we should round up the troops." Derek whispered as he kept an eye on the door. "She is not here alone, I can smell wolves." He hesitated for a second. "Call Chris also, he can help, but you should stay away. I'm at the edge of the woods where the creek widens a little."

Stiles answered with an almost squeaking voice. "Is she, she's alive, right?" The boy cleared his throat. "I want to help." Derek confirmed that he was pretty sure she was alive before he again urged Stiles to stay out of it. The last thing he heard was Stiles trying to protest before someone hit him over the head.

-o-o-o-o-o-

When he came to, he was strapped to a chair in something that looked like a garage. He felt like a fool for getting caught. He'd been too careless. Allison's sobs from behind him startled him a little and he tried to turn his head. The girl was crying as she finished the job on the ropes that bound him to the chair. "I'm sorry, Derek. They threatened to kill me. I'm so, so sorry."

Derek tried to free himself, but he had no strength. Where the rope touched skin, he felt an excruciating pain. "It's laced with Wolfsbane. I'm really, really, sorry." Allison stepped in front of him. Her face was scarred, and streaks of mascara was running down her cheeks because she was crying so hard. "They are watching us, I had to tie you up properly, or else they would have killed us both."

She wiped her eyes, smearing the mascara even more. Derek lifted his head with great effort. "What will stop them from killing you now?" He had a hard time focusing on her face, but could see that she looked embarrassed and distressed. "They didn't expect you. They took me to lure Scott here." She wiped her eyes again. "I'm sorry, but I'm glad it was you. I couldn't have done this to Scott. They would have had to kill me."

Knowing that the others probably were on their way, Derek started to worry. "They are coming, you have to warn them." He whispered, as he tried to fight against the effect of the Wolfsbane. He felt extremely weak and could barely hold his head up.

Allison looked down and wiped another tear from her cheek. "I don't know how. I wish..." She didn't get to finish. From the corner of his eye Derek could see two people coming up from behind him. They walked over to Allison and grabbed her. "Thanks sweetie. Now we only have to wait for the other guy."

Derek knew they were referring to Scott, and he was afraid that the young wolf would do something stupid when he realized what was going on. Isaac could be a loose canon and couldn't really be trusted in a life or death combat. He watched as Allison got tied up. She was strapped to a chair, and placed at the center of the room.

"So, Derek Hale, trapped by a human. Isn't that humorous." The two wolves circled around him, but didn't come too close. "Join us. We are stronger together." Derek managed to shake his head slightly. "No, you're killers, I can't live like that."

The fact that he himself had taken a few lives didn't really count compared to what this pack was capable of. Derek knew they wanted to be feared. He knew that they wanted to increase the werewolf count, and make their kind impossible to hunt. Gathering all the Alphas around would make them strong enough to take out any threat.

Derek didn't want that. He was fine staying under the radar in this little town. He could live an almost normal life and not having to flee for his life. Of course it would be different to be in this pack. The powers they contained would make them a considerable force, and fleeing would not even have to be an option. But still, it wasn't what he wanted.

Interacting with humans on a friendly level would be a thing of the past. He'd have to kill anyone who got to close and threatened the stability of the pack. That ultimately meant that he would have to stay away from Stiles forever or risk him being mauled or turned by one of these Alphas.

A tear threatened to roll down his cheek when he realized that the bond he shared with Stiles was more profound than he'd been aware of. The young boy was his destiny, his mate. He could never do anything that would threaten his life. "Never. I will never join you." He had to pause to catch his breath. He was very weak. "Just kill me now."


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A werewolf fight. I didn't even see it coming. My friend Mike is to blame... or really.. I thank him. Hope you'll enjoy this turn of events. I promise I will still stick to my Sterek Lovestory. It's just...

Stiles almost freaked out when he realized what had happened. The only positive thing was the unfamiliar voice shouting: "Don't kill him," before he heard a grunt from Derek and the line went dead. With shaking hands he called Scott. "I think they took him! Derek! They took him." He knew he sounded a bit hysterical and tried to calm down. "Get Isaac. I'll call Chris." With a trembling voice, he managed to explain where Derek had been only moments ago.

Disregarding Derek's wish, Stiles decided to join the battle. He knew he needed some leverage and headed directly towards Dr. Deaton's clinic.

The doctor was there and when Stiles explained what was going on, he too urged Stiles to stay out of it. "If you don't want to help, I don't care. I'm going, regardless." Stiles was about to stomp out when Deaton sighed heavily. "I understand. I'll see what I can do." He walked away and let Stiles wait in the surgery while he was getting something from the storage room. Just before the doctor came back, Stiles snuck a scalpel from a tray into his hand.

An item that looked like a permanent marker was put on the table in front of him. "This is the best I can do right now." Deaton shrugged. "I really wish you'd reconsider." Stiles looked at the thing. "And this is gonna help me, how? Am I going to draw on them?" The doctor chuckled humorlessly. "It's an insulin injector. I modified it. Instead of insulin, it contains a high dose of concentrated wolfsbane." He picked it up and handed it to Stiles. "I'll show you how to use it. But be careful."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

When Stiles drove off, he contemplated on calling his dad but then he scrubbed the idea. The police officers would not understand what they were getting themselves into. The other issue was that Scott and Derek could be equally at risk if they realized that they were hunting werewolves. Instead he just called Chris, and told him that Derek had found Allison. Chris sounded elated until he got the rest of the story. He promised to show up armed and ready for battle.

At the edge of the woods he met up with Scott and Isaac. They pointed to an old farm building. It looked like it could fall down any minute. After a short deliberation, they too demanded that Stiles stayed away. "You can be the lookout and alert us if something happens." Scott tried to keep calm, but Stiles could see that his friend was about to wolf out.

Sitting there between the trees, Stiles felt useless. "Lookout?" He whispered to himself, "not a particularly heroic title." He picked some leafs off a tree and tore them to shreds. He was bored already as he watched Scott and Isaac enter the building.

He was trying to get comfortable, sitting behind some bushes, when he saw three characters turn the corner of the shack and follow his friends towards the door. Stiles was about to yell when he was grabbed by the neck and lifted up from the forest floor.

He felt claws digging into his skin, and he was pretty sure that his life was going to be over in seconds, but the werewolf didn't kill him. Instead he carried him over to the others. Stiles decided to try to play dead. He knew that the werewolves would be able to hear his heartbeat, but if they thought he'd passed out, they may let him go.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Derek could smell them, and he knew that 'Chip and Dale' over there could smell them too. He wanted to warn his friends, but the sorry excuse for a growl that escaped his throat was barely audible. When Isaac and Scott came through the door, they stopped short for a second before the expression on Scott's face changed from determination to terror.

When he charged towards Allison, one of the other wolves stepped in front of her to block him. The other one went straight for Isaac. Derek worried that this was it. The two of them couldn't possibly overpower the Alphas.

He could barely move, but got startled when Scott threw his head back and howled towards the ceiling. The flash of red in Scott's eyes before he jumped the other wolf was surprising. As Derek watched, Scott was soon on top of the guy. With one smooth movement, he used his claws to cut the rope binding Allison and then dug into the wolf's throat. The sound he emitted as he did this, made everyone in the room freeze up for a moment.

For Derek, the whole scenario seemed to be played in slow motion. Allison let herself fall to the floor. Isaac jumped back and managed to avoid the claws of the other wolf, and Scott used his other hand to finish the job on his opponent. It could seem like they were winning the battle, but a few seconds later, the tables turned.

Four more wolves came though the door, one of them where carrying a listless Stiles. Derek cursed silently to himself. Stiles wasn't supposed to be here. He watched as his mate got tossed aside and left for dead. The 'fabulous four' spread out and got into combat position.

Derek hadn't even noticed what happened to Allison, but before he knew what was going on, one of the new arrivals had an arrow through his eye. He tip of it exploded inside the guys scull, causing blood and brain matter to seep out from his eyes and ears. The guy slumped down and fell over to his side.

Struggling to avoid passing out, Derek could see Allison behind a pile of junk that looked like an old conditioner. She looked like shit, but Derek couldn't care less. With her bow lifted and her eyes focused, she looked stunning. He moved his head slightly and was happy to see that Stiles was trying to get back on his feet.

He hoped that the guy would come to his senses and escape. When Stiles lifted his head and looked straight at Derek, pain and terror was written on his face. Derek managed to make a gesture with his head towards the door. Stiles had to get out of there and get help. If he'd had the strength, Derek would have yelled when he noticed that Stiles did not move towards the door. He crawled the other way and was obviously determined to get over to where Derek was sitting.

In the meantime, Scott lifted the chair that Allison had previously occupied and he flung it towards the remaining three newcomers. He managed to hit two of them. It threw them off slightly, but didn't really stop them.

Isaac was backing away from the guy who had tried to attack him before, but Derek knew for sure that he wouldn't stand a chance. The feeling off hopelessness hit Derek full force and he had to squeeze his eyes shut to avoid tears from coming.

He struggled with the ropes but the coarse fibers were digging into his skin making the pain worse. Stiles was now crawling on the floor behind the wolf that was charging at Isaac. Derek wasn't sure, but it looked like he was holding a marker of some kind.

It couldn't have been a marker, because when Stiles stabbed the guy's calf with it, he went down on his knees in an instant, giving Isaac the upper hand. With a well aimed kick to the head, Isaac made the wolf fall backwards. For some reason, the guy didn't manage to get on his feet again and he grabbed his leg. The sore howl he emitted got cut off as Isaac slit his throat.

Stiles had managed to roll away when the wolf fell but got hit with the spray of blood gushing from his jugular vein. He was now only a couple of feet from Derek. Stiles was still holding the marker-thing in his hand and up close, Derek could see that it looked like an Epipen.

Stiles was covered in blood, and Derek didn't know if it was only from the wolf or if it was Stiles own blood too. The boy practically dived behind Derek's chair and started to cut the ropes with a scalpel.

Scott was busy trying to fend off the rest of the pack, and they were somewhat thrown off task when they noticed what happened with their pack member. One of them turned towards Stiles and when he saw that he was about to cut Derek loose, he charged towards Derek with his claws exposed.

One of the others went for Isaac but the boy – who weren't very skilled in fighting – managed to jump out of reach. This turn of events gave Scott an opportunity to grab an old rusted sickle from the floor. He swung it in front of him tearing the third wolf's shirt and making a gash across his chest.

Derek's hands were free now and with the last bit of strength, he tipped the chair over making himself fall to the side. The chair broke and the rope that bound him loosened enough for him to get out of them.

Stiles scooted backwards with some of the rope clenched to his chest. When the Alpha was standing over Derek ready to attack, Stiles threw the rope at him. The wolf lifted his hands as a reflex to cover his face giving Derek a leeway.

With his powers slowly coming back, he tried to move to cover Stiles, but it was too late. The wolf grabbed the boy and with his hand raised, he was seconds away from killing him. Derek tried to attack but he was still weak.

Suddenly they all got startled when the sound of a gunshot roared through the building. Chris was standing in the doorway – his shotgun aimed at the ceiling. The wolf that had headed for Isaac was looking down on his chest. Blood was seeping through his shirt from multiple wounds caused by the pellets from the shotgun. He wasn't fatally injured but as Derek peeked over briefly, an arrow came in from the side and went straight trough the guys head. With a thump he hit the ground.

The wolf holding Stiles threw the boy into the wall and jumped up on a workbench. From there he escaped through the window. The last remaining wolf followed him as Chris pulled the trigger and hit the back of his thighs.

The scene in there was almost surreal. Allison was standing in the corner with her bow raised. Her clothes were torn, and her face was almost unrecognizable under the blood and the black streaks from the mascara.

Two wolves were sprawled out on the floor with their throats slit. Close to the door, just in front of Chris, the wolf who got hit with the exploding arrow was in fetal position. Blood and brain matter was still trickling out of his ears and nostrils.

Isaac, bloodied and exhausted, had sunk down on his knees next to the guy with the gunshot wounds and an arrow through his head.

In the middle of the floor, with a rusted sickle in his hand, Scott was slowly transforming into his human form. There was a faint flash of red in his eyes as he lowered his shoulders and let the sickle fall to the floor.

Derek saw all this but his brain wasn't able to grasp it. The only thing on his mind at the moment was how Stiles was doing.

The boy was lying on his side, his face and upper body covered in blood. Multiple claw marks around his neck were still bleeding. His left shoulder had an odd bulge to it, and Derek suspected that it was dislocated.

He scooted over and was about to lift Stiles' head onto his lap when Allison yelled from across the room.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Scott was somewhat confused. He'd noticed that he felt more powerful than before, but he explained it to himself with the fact that he was trying to protect his mate. He looked at Chris and mouthed a 'thank you' before he let the sickle fall to the floor. They had conquered the Alpha pack without any losses. Scott smiled and shook his head. He was about to turn towards Allison when he heard her coming up behind him.

"NO! You shouldn't lift him. He could..." Allison ran right past him and towards Derek. Scott followed her with his eyes and when he saw Stiles lifeless body on the floor, the smile on his face faded away in an instant.

Derek was on his knees in front of Stiles. His hand was on the boy's chest, and his head was cocked to the side. "He's breathing." The words were barely audible and there was a tremor in the guy's voice.

Allison was now standing next to Derek. She put her hand on his shoulder and stroked it gently. "We need to get him to a hospital. He could have injuries to his spine. Do not move him." Allison sounded strict and although Scott knew that Derek wasn't particularly familiar with taking orders, he seemed to understand and abide. Allison gave Derek's shoulder another stroke before she turned to the others. "We have to get rid of the corpses before the ambulance gets here."

As on cue Isaac and Chris started pulling the dead wolves out of there. Scott was unable to move. His best friend could be fatally injured and there was noting he could do. Allison looked at him with a frown. "Come on, Scott. I'll make the call, but you have to help."

Scott panned the room. It looked like a slaughterhouse in there. As in a trance he moved towards Chris and Isaac but he didn't let his gaze avert from the scene in the corner. Allison had her phone pressed to her ear as she walked towards him. "He is breathing. He's still alive." She stroked his cheek and gave him a lopsided smile. "Let's do what we have to do and let Derek watch him. You can try to cover up the blood."

Tears were welling up in her eyes, but she hurried to wipe them away. "Yes. We have an emergency. We need an ambulance." She walked away as she explained what she knew about Stiles' injuries to whoever answered her call.

There was a lot of junk and dirt in there and Scott found a couple of burlap sacks, and used them to cover up the most prominent stains. On top of them, he threw some rusted old tools and other pieces of junk. He tried to make so it wouldn't look arranged and when Chris and Isaac carried the last werewolf out of there. Scott assessed his work. It wasn't perfect, but unless the personnel on the ambulance searched the place, it was impossible to know that four wolves had died in there.

Scott looked over to the corner where Stiles was lying. Derek was still on his knees clenching Stiles' hand in his. Scott was about to walk over there when he heard the sobs. To avoid embarrassing Derek, he cleared his throat and waited until he saw Derek hurry to wipe his eyes.

"He'll be okay, right?" He swallowed hard as he squatted next to Derek. A brief nod was the only answer he got and Scott didn't know if Derek was sure about this, or if it was only wishful thinking.

"Isaac and dad are leaving with the bodies. I'll guide the EMTs." Allison was at the door and didn't wait for a response before she headed outside.

Derek and Scott didn't exchange another word. The lump in Scott's throat threatened to choke him. Stiles couldn't die. This was their fight; the werewolves' fight. Stiles should never had been mixed up with this in the first place.

There was a brief sound of sirens from the outside before Allison came running inside with the EMTs in tow. They left the gurney in the middle of the floor and practically pushed Derek and Scott away before they eased a backboard under Stiles.

Before moving him further, they checked his vitals and obviously satisfied with what they saw and heard they lifted him off the floor and onto the gurney.

Scott, Derek and Allison watched as they strapped Stiles to it. When they pushed him out the door they all followed. "Anyone coming with?" The EMT who was pushing the stretcher into the ambulance turned slightly to the three of them.

Scott was about to jump into the back when Derek forcefully pushed him away. "I'm going." He was inside before Scott managed to grasp what happened. "You go and get the sheriff. His dad needs to know." Derek helped out with closing the doors from the inside before the ambulance sped out of there.


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everybody worries about Stiles. Derek can't really do anything. He feels left out and tries to cope. Scott worries, but Allison distracts him.

Derek was pushed down on sort of a jump seat in the back of the ambulance as the paramedics focused on Stiles. He could see that they had already put a neck brace on him, and he suspected that it was done before the guy was even on the gurney. Derek didn't know. He'd been too scared and upset to pay any attention to what these guys were doing when they came.

He was more focused now. Knowing that Stiles was under professional care helped a lot on his state of mind. The two guys in there didn't exchange many words. They obviously knew exactly what to do and although everything seemed rushed and stressful, they never lost their cool.

Stiles received an oxygen mask, covering most of his face, and then a venous catheter was attached to his hand. The tears from the claws weren't bleeding so much anymore, but they'd covered them up with some gauze.

It felt like a lifetime waiting for the ambulance to reach the hospital, but Derek knew that it was only minutes ago that they left the dirt road leading to the shack. One of the guys stepped back. "Okay we're good. He's stable." He came over and squatted down next to Derek. "I need some info. What happened?"

Derek didn't know what to say. He tried to come up with a plausible explanation when the guy cocked his head and gave him a smile. "I understand that you're worried, but we need to ask." He threw a quick peek at Stiles. "It looks like an animal attack, but some of the injuries don't fit."

A bump in the road startled Derek a bit, and he clenched to the seat. "Yeah, it was, but, but he fell. I don't know. He shouldn't have been there. I tried to..." There was no way he was going to be able to explain this. "This wasn't supposed to happen."

The EMT patted Derek's shoulder. "Okay, it's okay. What's his name?" If the first question threw him off, this one was even more disturbing. "Uh, Stiles? Stilinski?" Embarrassed by the fact that he didn't even know Stiles' first name, Derek sighed in relief when the ambulance slowed down and came to a halt. "Stilinski? Sheriff Stilinski's son?" The EMT was obviously a little thrown back from the discovery. "Did anyone alert him?"

As the back doors of the ambulance opened, Derek confirmed that Stiles' dad was informed. He hoped that Scott had done what he was told, but had to assume at the moment.

A few seconds later they were on their way through the doors of the emergency entrance of the hospital. The two guys from the ambulance shouted out information to the attending physician and the nurses. Derek held on to the gurney and had to run to keep up with their pace.

Nobody seemed to pay attention to him, but as they continued on through another door, one of the nurses grabbed his shoulder. "You have to wait here. What's your name?" Derek stopped short and watched as the doors closed in front of him. "Uh, I, I'm Derek Hale. What are they going to do? Where are they taking him?"

The nurse – it was probably a nurse – led him towards a small couch. "Don't worry. He's in good hands. Are you related?" She forced Derek down on the seat and looked at him curiously. He sighed heavily. "No, no we're not related. I'm, I, he's my friend."

The nurse patted his shoulder and was obviously about to say something when the sound of a familiar voice reached his ear. "I'll take it from here. I know him." Melissa McCall sat down on the seat next to him. She sounded distressed, but kept her cool. The other nurse just nodded and walked away.

"Tell me! Did you do this?" Worry and concern was painted on her face. Derek shook his head. "No, but I'm partially responsible. I should have... He shouldn't have been there. I should have made sure he stayed away."

Derek covered his face with his hands and tried to avoid crying. Melissa shook him forcefully. "I was there when they took him to the OR. He was attacked by a werewolf, right?" She bent over a bit as to try to catch Derek's eyes. "If you didn't, then who?" She asked with a strict voice. Derek couldn't respond. He wasn't sure if he could speak without his voice cracking.

Suddenly she got up and Derek lifted his head slightly to see Scott and Allison coming through the door. Allison had managed to clean up somewhat. A few cuts were still visible on her face, but there were no blood and no smeared out eye makeup. The tears in her shirt were covered up by Scott's jacket. She looked almost presentable.

As soon as he saw his mom, Scott's eyes widened for a second, but then he grabbed her and pulled her over to a corner. Derek could hear him give her a brief recap of what had happened, and her facial expression changed several times as she listened.

Allison slumped down next to Derek and grabbed his hand. "How is he doing? Stiles? Is he...?" Derek was trying to pay attention to the conversation between Scott and his mom but when Allison nudged him, he turned to her. "He's in the OR, I don't know."

Seconds later, it seemed like everything quieted down. Sheriff Stilinski was standing in the middle of the room and everyone stared at him. Hurried footsteps from somewhere down the hall and a faint hum from the air-conditioning was the only sounds that broke the silence.

The first one to react was nurse McCall. She ran over to the man and gave him a hug. "Your son is in the OR. I'll find out how he's doing. Sit. Please." She grabbed his elbow and led him to a chair. The sheriff let her do it. He looked scared.

Allison turned to Derek briefly. "Let me do the talking. We came up with a story," she whispered as she got up from her seat. She walked over to Mr Stilinski and Derek could see that his face lit up for a moment when he recognized her. "They found you? Good." He gave her a ghost of a smile as she squatted next to him.

-o-o-o-o-

The light was too sharp. The sounds were too loud. Stiles didn't know where he was. He wanted to ask, but something was restricting his throat. He was on his back and he couldn't move. He could hear voices, but the words were imperceptible for him. An excruciating pain in his shoulder bothered him, but he was unable to express it.

"He's awake!" A soft voice near his ear made him want to turn, but he was somehow stuck. Someone grabbed his hand and a blurred image of an unfamiliar face appeared. "We're gonna fix you up, hang in there, boy." Shortly after the pain was gone and then the lights went out.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

He wondered if he was dying. He'd heard people say that when you were on the threshold of death, your life would flash before your eyes. A scene from when he and Scott played in the sandbox outside his house appeared. Then, it was replaced with an image of his mom's face when she was leaning over to kiss him goodnight.

Happy childhood memories were soon replaced by scary pictures of bloodied corpses. He tried to will them away but in his mind, they transformed into werewolves charging towards him. He wanted to scream but no sound came out. Suddenly, one of the wolves turned into Derek and as he mouthed his name he could feel arms around him. A sharp light hit his eyes and Stiles was pretty sure that this was it. He was taking his last breath.

Surprised by the fact that he could feel the throbbing pain in his shoulder even in this moment, he suddenly recognized his dad's voice. "Thank God. He's waking up."

Utterly confused, he tried to focus on the face in front of him, but then he had to close his eyes. The bright light gave him a headache and it felt like he had the worst hangover ever invented. "He's probably in pain, relax, he'll be fine." Stiles wasn't sure, but he thought he recognized the voice of Scott's mom.

Shortly after he fell into a dreamless sleep.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Derek was pacing back and forth outside the hospital. He wasn't allowed to visit Stiles. After Melissa had confirmed that Stiles had made it through surgery, sheriff Stilinski was the only one who could go and see him.

Scott and Allison was still inside waiting for news. They'd cooked together a story about Allison being attacked by wolves, and that Stiles had tried to rescue her by dragging her into the abandoned building. Inside, he had been injured by one of the wolves and trided to escape through the window when he fell down. The story was far from waterproof, but Mrs McCall had supported it and helped them perfect it.

The police had organized a search party to hunt down the pack, and Chris – being a skilled hunter – was helping them track it. Derek was pretty sure that Allison's dad would lead the posse astray. The two surviving werewolves were probably long gone and wouldn't be back for a while.

Allison had her injuries tended to, and except for one cut that required a couple of stitches, they weren't so bad.

For a moment Derek wished that he could just walk away from it all. Not that he wanted to, but he felt that he was the odd one out. That Scott was there was understandable, but how could Derek explain his own involvement? According to the story that Scott and Allison had cooked together, Derek had just been there at the right time to help get Stiles to the hospital.

Thinking about it, that part of the story was the honest truth. Derek hadn't been able to do anything to prevent Stiles from being injured. He'd been incapable of defending him. He really had just been a bystander to the whole thing.

-o-o-o-o-

Scott saw his mom come towards them, carrying a clipboard. She sat down and smiled tentatively. "He will survive, but he's in bad shape." She shook her head. "I'm not sure if I want to know, but..." She looked at Scott. "Am I going to regret supporting your story? Is this something that will come back to haunt me?" She leaned back in her seat little and clenched the clipboard to her chest.

"Dr. Johnson didn't believe me. Or more correct, he was not convinced, but he didn't question it any further." There was a resignation in her voice. "I want the whole truth."

Scott nodded slowly. "I'm not sure that you'll appreciate the truth, but if you insist, I'll tell you at home." He grabbed her hands. "But how's Stiles? Is he awake?"

For Scott, it looked like his mom was happy to go back to the role as a nurse. She cleared her throat and sat up straight. "He was awake for a brief moment, but he's heavily medicated." She looked at the clipboard and sighed. "Dislocated shoulder, fractured ribs. A serious concussion. A collapsed lung. And that's just from what you explained as a fall." She looked up and shifted her gaze from Scott to Allison and back. "He also has multiple cuts and scars around his neck. Some really deep. It's just pure luck that whoever did this didn't hit a major artery. He could have bled out."

She got up and wiped a tear from her eye. "He'd also sprained his ankle and there are some superficial scratches here and there." With a heavy sigh she took a few steps back. "I have to go back. I'll be home in a couple of hours. Be there." It was her last words before she turned and walked away not giving Scott a chance to ask anymore.

Allison eased her hand in between Scott's. He squeezed it gently. He wasn't sure if her action was due to the worries or if it was her way of telling him that the two of them weren't over. She leaned her head on his shoulder and sighed. "I missed you." she said as her other hand crawled around his waist.

Scott squeezed her hand again. "I missed you too." He lifted her hand to his mouth and kissed the fingertips. At the moment he couldn't remember why they broke up in the first place. "I love you. I've been miserable without you."

He felt her lips on his cheek and suddenly they clung together. Embarrassed by the fact that he got instantly aroused, Scott pulled back a little. Through the glass doors, he could see Derek pacing on the outside. He cupped Allison's cheeks and gave her a quick kiss. "We have to inform Derek. He's waiting outside."

Allison tried to pull him back into the embrace. "Sure, but why the rush. He can wait another couple of minutes." She gave him a wink. Scott sighed. He didn't know if he should tell her that Stiles and Derek had a thing, that they were together sort of. "Let's get out of here anyway." He kissed her again. "We can't see Stiles yet. Let's go to my place and wait until his well enough to receive visitors."

Allison just nodded in response, and the blush on her face told him that they were definitely on the same page. He grabbed her hand and together they walked out of there.

Derek stopped pacing when they approached him. He looked like shit. Scott wasn't sure, but it seemed like the Alpha had been crying. Allison looked at him before she turned her gaze to Scott. "What's the matter with him. Why is he..." She didn't finish the sentence. Derek stared at the both of them. "Is he? How is he?"

Scott repeated the information that his mom just gave them, and watched as Derek's face softened. A little smile tugged his lip. "I'm probably not allowed in there. Will you keep me informed about his progress?" He looked down for a second before he met Scott's eyes again. "I couldn't help him, I told him not to come." For a second it looked like he was about to cry, but he collected himself quickly and with a shrug he looked at the hospital doors before he started to walk away.

Scott let go of Allison's hand and followed him. "I'll call you. I'm sure you can visit eventually. I'll call you." He gave Derek a pat on his back. "It wasn't your fault. We tried to keep him away too, but he just didn't listen."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

They had to walk to Scott's house and for a long time Allison was suspiciously quiet. After ten minutes, she suddenly stopped and turned to Scott. "What's up with Derek? Why does he think that he's to blame?" She gave him a scrutinizing stare. "What did he do?"

Scott shrugged and squeezed his eyes shut for a moment. "He did nothing. He did his best to keep Stiles out of it, but he didn't count on Stiles' determination." With a sigh, Scott decided to fill Allison in on the disturbing truth of it all. "The two of them are together, sort of. I don't know how serious it is, but Stiles claims he's in love."

In any other situation the expression on Allison's face would have been hilarious, but Scott had no urge to laugh. "I know. It's, it's... weird. I don't know." He swallowed hard and tried to find words. "I thought it was one-sided, but now... I think Derek is more invested than I gave him credit for."

He grabbed Allison's hand and started to walk on. He had to pull a little to make her follow, and she willingly did. "But how? They are like... together? Like boyfriends?" She almost had to run to keep up with Scott's pace. "Slow down. This is... How can this be?"

Scott didn't want to talk about it. He himself was unable to wrap his mind around this and didn't know how to explain. "I really don't know much. Also, it's a secret. You can't tell anyone." Allison nodded. "Okay, I understand that, but how did they... I mean, how did they get together in the first place?"

Stiles and Derek hadn't revealed how it all started, so Scott couldn't answer Allison's question. "You'd have to ask them, I don't know. It's a puzzle." They had now reached Scott's house, and he let go of Allison's hand to pull out the key. "This is new to me too, and I intend to find out, but for now, can we just... just, forget about them?"

They did. For a whole hour they only focused on each other. They barely managed to get dressed again before they heard the sound of Melissa's voice from downstairs. "You home? Scott? I got news."


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stiles is recovering, but is still weak. Scott blames Derek for his friend getting seriously injured. When Derek is called to come to the hospital, it surprises him, but of course he goes. Fluff and love and painmedication.

The lights were still too bright. The second Stiles opened his eyes, it felt like someone was stabbing them with needles. He wanted to cover them up, but was not able to lift his hands. Squeezing them shut didn't seem like a good option either. When the muscles around his eye-sockets tightened, a lurking headache made him instantly nauseous.

Stiles tried to relax, and opened his eyes slightly. The room was not as well lit as he'd first thought. He had no idea were he was, but a few things in his line of view gave him a clue. He'd been in the hospital before, and he suspected that he was there now.

Trying to remember anything made the headache come back, so he settled for the memories that were easy to grasp. They were searching for Allison, Derek found her, and they all went to rescue her. Stiles could vaguely recall that he was at Dr Deaton's office, but he had no idea why. He remembered seeing Scott and Isaac enter a building. The foliage of some bushes covered the view somewhat.

Another vivid memory was of Derek tied to a chair. Fighting to keep the pain in his head away, he tried to recall if Derek ever came loose. A blurry picture of his own hands trying to cut Derek's ropes was disturbed by an image of a werewolf charging at them.

The sound of cough reached his ear, and he suddenly realized that he wasn't alone in the room. He tried to turn his head towards the sound, but doing so, the headache threatened to blind him. "Hmm. Who's there?" The sound of his own voice was almost scary and his throat felt sore.

Soon, he saw his dad's face in front of him. "How are you doing, son? I'm sorry, I fell asleep." The sheriff was in his uniform and Stiles wondered why. "I'm okay." He quacked out and tried to reach out for his dad's hand. It was impossible. It felt like his whole body was numb, and he worried that he was paralyzed. "I can't move. Why can I not move?"

A hand crawled under his head and lifted it up. "Have some water. It'll make it easier to talk." His dad held a cup to his lips and he drank eagerly.

When his head again rested on the pillow he dared to repeat the question. "Why can I not move?" Stiles tried to wiggle his toes and he felt that they actually moved. "I'm not paralyzed, am I?" A little chuckle escaped the sheriff's throat. "No, but they strapped you in. I guess they were afraid you'd fall out of bed or something."

Stiles let out a sigh in relief. "I don't remember, I can't remember anything." He tried to focus on his dad's face. "What happened?" There was no point in trying to move, so the only thing he could do to emphasize the question was to cock his brow.

"I don't know what happened, but you rescued Allison. You're the hero. You rescued her from the wolves." His dad gave him a smile and stroke his cheek. "I've been here the whole night so I don't know anything more, but according to Mrs McCall, you almost sacrificed yourself for the girl."

Stiles was very surprised by this information. "But Scott and Isaac were there." He wondered if his dad knew about the werewolves now, or if he was talking about real wolves. "Isaac? I don't know about Isaac, but Scott and Derek came and found you." His dad gave him a smile. "It was probably not the smartest thing you've done, but I'm proud of you."

If he'd been confused before, this new information confused him even more. "Scott and Derek? So Derek is alive?" He could almost not feel the lurking headache anymore. Derek was alive. "Where is he? Derek? Where is he?" He tried to contain the joy he felt inside, but he needed to know.

"Uh, Derek? I don't know. Home I guess." Stiles' dad cocked his head and stared at his son. "He was in the ambulance with you. He was at the hospital for a while, but now... I don't know."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Derek hadn't slept a wink. When the phone rang around seven in the morning, he dived over to grab it from the coffee table. "Mr Hale?" He didn't recognize the voice at first. "Yeah?" He answered somewhat tentatively. "This is Sheriff Stilinski. I'm sorry to disturb you so early but my son wants to see you."

How it was possible to stay calm in this situation was beyond him. He wanted to scream and shout. Stiles was alert and had told his dad that he wanted him to come. "Okay, I can come now. Or later." He didn't want to sound too eager and he tried to relax. "Honestly. I have been awake for more than twenty-six hours so if you could..." The sheriff sighed heavily on the other end. "I just don't want to leave him alone, so if you could come...?"

Derek didn't even have to think about it. "I'll be there in a few. I'll watch him." Keeping his calm was hard, but he was satisfied with the performance. "I understand. I'm his friend, I can do that." He wondered if he should fake that he needed a few minutes to get ready. Before he'd made a decision, he heard sheriff Stilinski's voice. "I would have asked Scott, but Stiles demanded that I call you."

There were no words to describe the happiness Derek felt at the moment. It was slightly disturbing, but wild horses couldn't keep him away. He had to chuckle a little as he was humming the Rolling Stones tune. It was true though. Nothing could keep him from going over to the hospital. "It's okay Mr. Stilinski. Stiles probably knows that Scott has to go to school today. I'll be there in a few. Your son will be in good hands."

-o-o-o-o-o-

The look on his mom's face told Scott that she did not believe that he and Allison had patiently waited for her with their hands folded. A quick peek at Allison flustered cheeks, and messy hair was all he needed to understand why. Later, he discovered that he himself had managed to put his t-shirt on inside out.

"News? About Stiles? Can we visit him?" Scott did his best to avert his mom's attention from what she obviously suspected had gone on in her house. "Will he be okay?" He noticed that Allison tried to fix her hair, even though she must have known it was too late.

"Stiles' injuries are not life-threatening, but he's somewhat immobilized." She put a couple of bags on the kitchen table and started to pick groceries out. "He was awake for a brief moment after surgery, and Dr Johnson is satisfied." She gestured for Scott to help her put away her purchases. "The concussion is serious though. He is heavily sedated and will probably sleep until tomorrow."

Scott put milk and cheese in the fridge. "When can we visit?" He wanted to talk with his friend. Not only because he was concerned about his well-being, but also because of the story they cooked together. His mom picked a box of cereal out of the bag and put it in the cupboard. "I'm working day-shift tomorrow and can find out, but he needs rest so..." She shrugged. "So far only his dad is allowed in there."

Scott looked at his mom disappointed. "This is the news? It's really not more than we knew already." He grunted and turned to Allison. "I just want to see for myself. I want to see him." He continued pulling items out of the bags, but felt slightly annoyed.

After they were done putting away the groceries, Melissa turned to Allison. "Are you staying for dinner? I'm making lasagna." Allison shook her head. "I should get home. Haven't been home since last night and..." She didn't get to finish before Scott's mom reached over and grabbed her hand. "Of course. I'm so sorry. I forgot. You were attacked too. How are you doing?"

Allison smiled and sighed. "I'm really fine. I'm happy that Stiles is doing good. I couldn't have lived with myself if he'd..." A tear ran down her face. "I should have been more careful, but I didn't know that there were... wolves..." She threw a quick peek at Scott before she turned back to his mom. "I guess you know, maybe..."

After Allison left, Scott's mom made dinner and they ate in silence. Scott felt antsy, and would have wanted to have Allison there. He went to bed early after sending a quick text to her. "Love you, good night." A few minutes later he got an answer. "Love you too. See you at school. Everything will be fine."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Scott had a hard time falling asleep. The happiness he felt from knowing that he and Allison were back together was clouded by the terror of realizing that Stiles had been so close to death. He couldn't help but blame Derek. If the guy had not been so entangled with his best friend, Stiles would not have been injured.

He knew that Stiles had partially gotten himself into this on his own, but Scott chose to hold Derek responsible. The fact that Stiles was there in the first place was mostly due to the twisted relationship the two of them had. Scott was pretty sure that Stiles would have stayed away from the scene if hadn't been in love with Derek.

That Stiles had incapacitated one of the wolves, making it possible for them to win the battle, escaped Scott's mind at the moment. He just knew that it had to stop. It had so be over. He didn't want this for his best friend. Stiles needed to get over Derek and move on.

The next morning, he went to school after making his mom promise to call as soon as there was any news about Stiles.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Derek walked up to the nurses station a little hesitantly. He didn't know what to say. The guy behind the counter looked at him curiously and was about to open his mouth when Sheriff Stilinski came towards them. He reached his hand out. "You're Derek Hale. I know you." He sounded surprised by the realization. "He's sleeping," he said as they shook hands. "You're not in his class? I thought... Never mind." He turned to the nurse. "Mr Hale will sit with my son. I'll take him to his room."

Walking behind Stiles' dad through the corridor felt weird. He knew for sure that this man would not easily accept that the relationship between him and Stiles wasn't solely platonic. The expression on the guys face when they met told him that he wasn't particularly comfortable with Derek even being there.

Derek suspected that the only reason for him to let him near his son was because Stiles had asked for it, and also the fact that Mr Stilinski had been awake for to long. "Excuse me, Mr Stilinski, but how is he doing? I'm sorry, but nobody ever told me."

The sheriff turned abruptly. "Who are you really? I mean... I know who you are, but you're not one of my son's friends. Why is he so adamant about you coming here?" The stare was scrutinizing and Derek didn't know how to answer "I'm worried about him, and I don't want to leave him alone. He asked for you, but I do not understand why."

Derek felt slightly embarrassed. He thought he knew why Stiles had asked for him, and it pleased him, but revealing it to Mr Stilinski was not an option. "I don't know, but I think it's because he saved my life." Derek had to turn away from the sheriff. "He passed out before he knew I was fine. I'm guessing he wants to see for himself."

With a shrug, Mr Stilinski pushed the door to Stiles' room open. "Okay. This does not make sense to me. He saved you?" Derek could see Stiles on the bed sleeping soundly. "I'm sorry. Yeah. He saved my life." Derek wasn't able to focus on Mr Stilinski anymore. The only thing he could see was Stiles lying there on the bed.

"You're son is a hero. You know that, right?" Derek had only brief knowledge about what Scott and Allison had told Stiles' dad, so he didn't want to overdo it, but he had to say something. "I'm not completely sure how it happened, I was somewhat incapacitated. You should ask Scott." The look on Sheriff Stilinski's face told Derek that he'd already said too much.

"Tell me what happened. Wolves, uh?" Stiles' dad cocked his brow slightly and stared at Derek. "Yeah, odd right. I can't, I really don't know too much." Derek twisted his hands while searching for words. He wished that he'd called Scott and asked him what they've said. A grunt from the bed made them both turn and rush towards Stiles.

Derek couldn't help himself. He grabbed the boy's hand and squeezed it gently. Stiles' eyelids trembled a little before he opened his eyes slightly. "Derek! Is that you?" His voice was weak and the words was not more than a whisper. It seemed like he had a hard time focusing, but then a ghost of a smile traveled over his lips. "It is you." His eyes fell shut and he clenched his fingers around Derek's hand. There were no strength in the grip. It felt more like a caress.

"I need to tell you something." Stiles turned his head a little but his eyes were still closed. "I, I'm, I mean I'm in, no I l..." Derek could guess what was coming and although it pleased him, he hurried to cover Stiles' mouth with his hand. "Later. You're dad is about to leave. You should rest."

Stiles' eyes flew open and for a moment, he looked terrified. Then his features relaxed, and an adorable shade of pink appeared on his cheeks. It was becoming. He'd looked too pale before, and Derek wondered if Stiles' dad would notice and comment on it.

He didn't. "Sorry, son. I need some sleep and a shower. I'll be back though." He stroke his son's cheek. "Your friend Derek will be here... for a while." He looked at Derek quickly before he continued. "He can call me when he wants to leave."

The Sheriff gave his son's cheek another stroke before he turned. When he walked towards the door, he appeared tired and had a slumped posture. He peeked over his shoulder and gave Derek a humorless smile before he exited.

As soon as the door closed behind Mr Stilinski, Derek could feel Stiles' fingers move over the back of his hand. "Hm, Derek." He sighed heavily. "I'm tired. I'm sorry." Stiles' eyes fell shut, and it seemed hard for him to open them again. Derek cocked his head and stared at the pained face in front of him. "Just sleep. I'll be here."

With great effort, Stiles lifted his head slightly and managed to open his eyes a crack. "I just need to... Derek, I love you." It seemed like uttering the words had taken all his strength, and with another sigh he relaxed his head onto the pillow again.

Derek felt a lump in his throat. He gave Stiles' hand a quick squeeze, but this time, the boy didn't try to reciprocate. Derek drew his breath and reached out to pull a chair closer to the bed. He got a little startled from the sound of the legs of the chair rubbing against the linoleum, and peeked at Stiles. There were no reaction.

When he sat down and tried to get comfortable, he grabbed Stiles' hand again. With a finger he traced a small uncovered scar on Stiles' wrist. Derek wasn't sure if the boy was sleeping already. He leaned over and kissed the pale cheek. Against the skin he whispered the words that he'd been holding back for too long already. "I love you, too."


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stiles is still bedridden in the hospital. Derek is there, but Stiles is not alert enough to appreciate it. Melissa McCall, in her capacity as a nurse, discover the truth and her reaction surprises Derek.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a very confusing chapter, sorry. No progress, but essential to the rest of the story. Fluff and...smut will follow. Hang in there.

Stiles felt like he was flying, or rather, floating. He had a constant but dull pain in his shoulder, and every time he drew his breath, it felt a little restricted. It was like his mind didn't want him to take in all the air that he craved. It still felt comfortable. It was like he was sailing away on silver-lined clouds.

He could see his dad in the distance, smiling and waving. Scott was standing next to him with a concerned expression on his face. When Allison came into view, Stiles got startled. She was holding her bow, and her face was scarred and dirty.

Stiles wanted to wake up, but something held him back in this twilight zone. "He's in pain. Check the morphine drip." An unfamiliar voice entered his ear and suddenly he managed to draw his breath properly.

A faint throbbing was all that was left of the pain in his shoulder, but his arm was still immobilized somehow. He wanted to lift his other hand because there was an itch on his neck. He managed to move it slightly, but then someone grabbed it. "Stiles? I'm here. Are you okay?" It was Derek's voice. Stiles got surprised by that fact and tried to answer, but when he opened his mouth to confirm, nothing came out.

"I love you." The whisper reached his ear and it pleased him. Stiles didn't understand why he could not see Derek. He didn't understand how he could hear the words and feel the touch from up there in the skies if Derek wasn't there with him.

He remembered that after the surgery, he'd been sure that he was dying. Stiles wondered if it was just slightly postponed. This was probably it. He'd made it through the fight, he'd made it through surgery, but now he was slipping away. Derek telling him he loved him was just a figment of his own imagination. It was just wishful thinking in his moment of passing.

When he felt a set of lips on his cheek and actually smelled that it was Derek, Stiles felt tears well up in his eyes. 'There is a God. There has to be a God,' he thought as he smiled to himself. There was a God, and this God wanted him to have this moment of joy before death took him. He didn't want to die, but if he had to go now, it would be sort of okay.

There were just a few things that disturbed this picture. One thing was that he could still not manage to scratch that annoying itch. Another important issue was that Derek's stubble seemed to be tickling his skin. It was as if the guy was rubbing his cheek against his. 'How vivid could a last dream be?'

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Derek was tired. He knew he could stay awake for hours on end, but the quietness in the room was slowly getting the better of him. It wasn't completely silent. The air-conditioning gave out a soft hum. Noises, like footsteps in the hall and an occasional message over the intercom trickled through the closed door. A car was idling on the outside and Derek could hear a faint buzz from the traffic on the highway.

When a couple of nurses came to check on Stiles a while ago, they'd had not been satisfied with the strained expression on his face. "He's in pain, check the drip." One of them gestured for Derek to get out of the way as she looked at the venous catheter on Stiles' hand. She nodded and then they both looked at Stiles. It didn't take long before his facial expression had softened and he looked at peace.

After that, Derek and Stiles were again left alone. Derek worried a little about the morphine. He wondered how bad shape Stiles was in. Morphine was heavy-duty and often used to sedate cancer victims in their last hours.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Derek stretched his body and tried to get comfortable in the chair next to the bed. He'd had a little nap, but it was hardly enough for comfort. Nobody had even blinked when they walked in on them, but then again, there wasn't really nothing to see but a guy caring for his friend.

The few hours that had passed since the nurses where there had mostly gone by in silence. Stiles had been sleeping most of the time, and Derek had made time pass by flipping through an old magazine. The quietness was broken during the visit from the doctors. Stiles was woken up, and they asked him all sorts of unnecessary questions.

They didn't even look at Derek, just asked him to stay out of their way while they tortured his mate. After they were done checking him – poking and prodding, making the boy moan in pain – Stiles fell back to sleep almost instantly.

Seconds later, a nurse's assistant came in with a bedpan, Derek practically pushed her out. "He's sleeping, I'll call if he needs anything." He slumped back down on the chair by the bed and looked at Stiles. He seemed to be at peace, but ever so often his brows twitched.

Derek didn't even know for how long they'd been alone when the door again opened slowly, he was ready to give whoever it was a piece of his mind. He almost choked on his tongue when he recognized Scott's mom. "How is he?" She whispered as she tiptoed over to the bed and looked at the clipboard hanging by the foot of it.

"Where's Mr Stilinski?" Mrs McCall was still whispering. "And what the hell are you doing here?" Derek felt slightly uncomfortable under her stare and he shrugged a little. "I, Stiles wanted... I mean Stiles' dad didn't want him to be alone. He, uh, went home to... uh, sleep and... I don't know, he asked me to come."

It felt weird that he was unable to speak without stuttering. "I think, I think he's doing good, under the circumstances, but I don't... I don't even know what kind of injuries he sustained." Scott had told him, but thinking back Derek didn't remember much of it. A peek over at the bed told him that Stiles was still sleeping peacefully. "Can you, will you tell me?"

Mrs McCall looked at him curiously. "It's not that you are anywhere near being next of kin, but I guess... if Mr Stilinski felt it was appropriate to invite you to sit with Stiles, I could give you the gist of it." Melissa skimmed through the paper in front of her before she cleared her throat.

She explained the injuries and after looking at Derek curiously, she left them alone again.

After all the visits, Derek was utterly fed up. He just wanted to be there for Stiles, and not have to deal with anybody else. He was extemely tired, but didn't want to go to sleep. Resting his head on Stiles' good shoulder for a moment wouldn't be too bad. He just needed a little bit of peace and quiet.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Stiles didn't know how much time had passed, but suddenly he wasn't in the clouds anymore. He knew for sure that he was still alive because the pain was back. It wasn't excruciating, but it was definitely annoying. One of his shoulders was bothering him somewhat, and the other was weighed down by something.

He turned his head a little. The pain in his chest as he drew his breath was soon forgotten when he got Derek's head of hair into view. He didn't even have time to ponder over it before the door to the room open a crack. Embarrassed and confused, he pretended to be asleep.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Melissa opened the door quietly and peeked into Stiles' room. She knew Derek was still in there, but she was not prepared for the image that caught her eyes. Stiles seemed to be at ease. On the far side of the bed, Derek was sitting in a little awkward position with his head on Stiles' shoulder. His face was buried into the boy's neck and his lips were touching skin.

Derek's hands were clenched around Stiles', and the intimacy of the situation made Melissa feel slightly uncomfortable. Remembering what she'd learned about werewolves – that they could heal themselves – she worried for a second that Derek was about to bite Stiles. If he tried to save him by turning him, she would have to stop him. That thought went away as soon as it had entered her mind.

The scene in front of her was not that of a werewolf and his prey. It was an image of a boy trying to comfort a loved one – a lover.

Suddenly, Derek lifted his head and looked straight at her. Then he practically jumped back and let go of Stiles' hand. "I, it's not what it... eh, looks like. I fell asleep, I didn't..." He blushed and was clearly uncomfortable under her stare.

Melissa lifted her index finger to her mouth. "Shh. It's okay." She wasn't sure if it was okay, but Derek's expression almost made her chuckle. "I don't know what I saw, but you clearly care about him." Derek nodded a little tentatively. "I do, but I... Yeah, I do." His customary broody look was back, but softened slightly as he turned his gaze to the bed. "I really do."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

The embarrassment was almost overwhelming. Personally, Derek didn't feel that he'd done anything wrong, but he wasn't sure what it had looked like for Mrs McCall. First of all, it was essential to his own freedom to keep the relationship a secret, but it could of course look like he was about to bite.

"I'm pretty sure Mr Stilinski doesn't know about... your kind, and he's not your biggest fan." Mrs McCall sighed. "He is on his way, be happy it was me coming through the door." She was now at the bed checking the drip and the bandages. "If there's something going on between you and Stiles..." She shook her head but didn't finish the sentence.

Derek got up from the chair and rounded the bed. "No, it's, it's nothing. I fell asleep, I just fell asleep." He picked up his jacket hanging over the foot-board. "I should probably leave. If the sheriff is coming, Stiles will be in good hands."

Mrs McCall tilted her head. "Do you think I'm stupid?" She shook her head and as Derek was about to ease himself out of there, she stepped in front of him. "Why are you here really? I know that Stiles asked for you specifically. Tell me why!" She lowered her gaze to the floor, but she didn't move out of the way.

Derek looked at her and realized that he couldn't get away. Melissa McCall was not a hunter; she was worthless in a fight, but the look he got from her made him crumble. She was a mom; she was acting as if she was Stiles' mom. "If you play with him I'm gonna... There's not much I can do, I realize that, but...I love this kid as if he were my own."

Derek stepped back and watched as Melissa did her best to compose herself. When he was sure that she'd managed, he threw a peek at Stiles before he turned to her. "Believe me or not, but I love this guy. It's not... for me it's forever. For him it is for now, or maybe I'm lucky."

Derek squeezed his eyes shut. This was the first time he'd admitted it to anyone. It was the first time he'd even admitted it to himself. The three words whispered in despair didn't count. They didn't count because nobody heard them. It wasn't done on purpose, but Derek knew that Stiles had passed out before the words were uttered.

Mrs McCall cocked her head and stared at him. "You love him? Just like that? Do you really know love?"

It took a while before Derek was able to respond. The way Scott's mom reacted to this was surprising. She looked totally calm and collected and there were no resentment in her eyes, just curiosity. "I do love him, Mrs McCall. I believe it's mutual, but I can't speak for Stiles."

Derek waited as Melissa seemed to measure him. He wondered what she was thinking, and tried to be ready for anything. He was still not prepared for what came. "Maybe you shouldn't tell his dad right now. I'm not sure he's ready to hear it." She smiled and threw a peek at Stiles. "I believe you, and I'll do my best to wrap my mind around it, but if you hurt him, I'll make sure you never set foot in this town again." The sincerity in her voice could not be misconstrued and Derek knew she would do her best to make it happen if he screwed up.

With a sigh Derek followed her line of view. They were quietly watching Stiles for a few moments. "I won't hurt him." Derek shook his head. "I could never..." He felt a tear in the corner of his eye, and turned away a little embarrassed when he realized that his voice was breaking. Melissa reached her hand out and touched his sleeve. "It's okay. It's okay to be emotional right now." She smiled. "He'll make it. He'll be fine."

After a few minutes – the two of them just standing there – Mrs McCall shrugged a little and walked towards the door. "As I said, his dad is on his way. You can stay, of course..." She looked at him as she cocked her brow. "They have to change his bandages. Maybe he needs to... you know... have a bathroom break. I would think he wants a little privacy for that."

Derek nodded, but didn't turn to her. He approached the bed and gave Stiles' hand a quick stroke. "I'll be leaving now, but I..." He knew that Stiles was still sleeping and couldn't possibly hear him, but he had to tell him. A quick peek at Melissa made her understand, and she opened the door and left before he continued. "I love you, I'll be back."

-o-o-o-o-o-

Later in the afternoon, Stiles was awake and alert. He was slightly disappointed that Derek had left without waking him up. He remembered that Scott's mom came in, but after that, it was all a blur. He was probably still affected by the drugs they'd given him, and the few seconds of alertness was soon drowned in oblivion.

Melissa had explained that Derek decided to leave before Mr Stilinski came and that he didn't want to disturb his peaceful sleep.

She'd behaved somewhat odd and all through her short visit, she'd seemed to be sending him curious looks. Stiles suspected it had something to do with Derek, but he didn't dare to ask.

He'd finally got something to eat and even though the pain bothered his somewhat, it was bearable. They'd asked him if he needed something to ease the discomfort, but he'd declined. He wanted to be awake now.

The sheriff had been there for a few hours, but eventually he had to go to work. He'd provided Stiles with some reading material, but urged him to rest as much as possible. Stiles knew that Scott was on his way, and he looked forward to that visit. His friend could probably tell him what really happened yesterday.

Everybody told him he was a hero, but he didn't understand why. He remembered very little from the events, but had decided not to share the few memories with anyone until he had the whole story. That had actually not been much of a problem. He'd been sleeping most of the time and when he got a question, he pretended to be less alert than he really was.

During Derek's visit – which had lasted for more than seven hours – he'd been sleeping for the most part. Stiles could vaguely remember the vivid dreams he had during that time, and he wondered if some of it was real.

He knew he'd told Derek that he loved him, but he wasn't completely sure if the words were said out loud. Derek's reply was even more blurry and could of course just be pure fantasy. Stiles tried to remember, but gave up when the headache threatened to come back.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Eventually Scott came and he finally got the whole story. "So I am a hero, sort of?" He chuckled a little and stared into the ceiling. "I did save him." Scott huffed and looked at him with a frown. "Yeah, sort of. Okay, partially you did." Scott didn't seem too comfortable with Stiles' focus on Derek. "The little things you did helped save everybody. Although it wasn't much, without you we could have all died."

Stiles learned that Allison and Chris had been the real heroes, but the scene would have been quite different if Stiles hadn't been there at all. "Chris was the one who chased them away, but I'm pretty sure Isaac and Derek would have died without you there." Scott sighed and tried on a smile. "It was just scary how you almost sacrificed yourself for... for him."

As soon as Scott had told him the official version of what went down – the story they've made up to avoid mentioning werewolves – Stiles gave Scott a bright smile. "So, I'm even more of a hero now?" He lifted his head from the pillow and stared straight at Scott. "They think I saved Allison all by myself? That's so cool."

In the back of his head, he still had the knowledge that he'd help save Derek's life.


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Scott is trying to cope with the love-affair between Stiles and Derek. His mom isn't making it easy for him. melissa proves to be a a good helper and she obviously has a soft spot for Derek. Love and Strawberries.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the delay. Christmas and New years and inventory and volunteer-work took a toll on me. I'm back to writing, but there could be a few weeks before I'm totally back on track. There is an end to this, but it's not around the corner. To my followers: Hang in there. More drama ahead. More smut, more fluff, more females taking charge.

The cockiness Stiles expressed after he heard the story they cooked together about what happened on Sunday, was slightly annoying. Scott tried to remind him that it wasn't the exact truth, but Stiles was obviously not interested in the truth anymore.

"This is the official facts about what went down, right?" Stiles cocked his head and stared at his friend. "This is what everybody believes to be the truth. They think I'm a hero. That I saved Allison by myself."

Stiles looked pale and fragile against the while linens on the hospital bed, but a mischievous grin on his face disturbed the image somewhat. "Thank you, Scott. For making me a hero." A sigh escaped before he continued. "I felt like a fool, though. I thought I messed it all up. I couldn't remember much."

When a tear suddenly ran down his friend's cheek, Scott got surprised. "What? Are you crying? Why?" He scooted the chair a little closer to the bed and grabbed Stiles' hand. Stiles sniffled a little. "I couldn't remember if anyone survived. I was sure I was dying too." His voice was trembling. "I thought... I worried that I'd made everything worse and that I got you killed."

Scott tried to sooth his friend. "You shouldn't have been there, but I'm glad you came." He stroke the back of Stiles' hand. "And you know, me and Allison are back together. You are partially responsible for that too." He could feel that he was blushing. "We worried about you and had to comfort each other." He cocked his brow. "You know what I mean?"

-o-o-o-o-o-

Stiles knew exactly what he meant. His werewolf friend and his mate were back together, and had sealed the relationship with fornication. He was happy for them. Thinking about Derek, he wished that Scott could be equally happy that he'd found someone too; that he had a boyfriend – a lover – for the first time in his life.

"Um, Scott? I'm sorry I didn't tell you about... you know, Derek." He looked down a little ashamed. "I should have trusted you. I should have..." Scott's facial expression made him stop. His friend looked pained, but then his features softened. "I understand why you didn't. It was surprising and disturbing, and I still don't know what to think."

Scott got up from the chair and started pacing. "You put yourself in harms way because of him. I can't help but blame him for your injuries." He stopped in front of the window and stared out. "He's an Alpha. He's unpredictable. I'm worried that he's just using you."

Stiles sighed heavily and whimpered a little when he felt the pain in his chest from the inhale. "He's not. He.., I love him." He waited for Scott to protest and possibly freak out a little, but his friend just kept staring into the darkness outside. "Yeah, you kind of told me already but, Stiles. He was, is, your first, you're just confused. I think you're just confused."

With a huff Scott turned to him again. "You can do better. Derek is, is damaged. I worry that you'll only get hurt." Even after sleeping for so long, Stiles felt tired. He didn't want to argue with his best friend, but he had to say something. "I don't know anything about the future. I don't know if this is it. I just know that I'm in love now and I'm happy."

He leaned back and closed his eyes. "We are happy. I just wish we didn't have to be so secretive about it. It's annoying." He didn't notice that the door had opened, and startled when he heard a small cough. Both him and Scott flipped their heads around and stared at Mrs McCall. "Sorry, didn't mean to startle you, but we have to leave." She was not in her nurse's uniform, so Stiles knew she was not working. "I've run my errands and if you don't want to walk home, you have to come now." She looked at Scott and following her line of view, Stiles had to laugh from the expression on his friend's face.

It took a few seconds before he understood why Scott looked so horrified. "MOM! It was a private conversation. You can't just... What you heard, it wasn't..." Scott peeked at Stiles and rolled his eyes. He mouthed a 'I'm sorry' before he again turned to his mom. Melissa just shrugged. With a soft smile, she changed her gaze from her son and looked at Stiles. "It's okay, I know. They are together I guess, and I won't tell anyone."

She opened the door wider and stepped aside. "Visiting hours are really over, and you are in the clear, so having guests now is really not allowed, but I..." Derek came up behind her and peeked over her shoulder. "He asked nicely and I managed to bend the rules." She practically pushed Derek through the door as she gestured for Scott to come.

Her son's wide eyes and flabbergasted look made Stiles chuckle a little. Then he turned to Mrs McCall. "Thank you Mom... I mean Ma'am." She shook her head. "Ma'am? That makes me feel old, you know you don't have to pretend to be so polite with me, I know you too well, but you're welcome." She gave him a soft smile before they both turned to the two wolves.

There seemed to be a staring contest between Scott and Derek before the Alpha stepped forward. "Scott, I promise, I will never hurt him. He can make his own choices." Stiles felt slightly annoyed. He felt completely overlooked and figured he had to remind them who was supposed to be the center of attention. "Hey! I'm here and I don't want this silly little combat. I want you two to get along."

Scott averted his gaze from Derek and shook his head a little. "Sorry Stiles. I'll try. Derek I, I know you, I think, or I thought I knew you. Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe you've changed." He walked over to the bed and gave Stiles a hug. "I'll try." He repeated as he joined his mom by the door. Melissa waved before she practically dragged her son out of the room.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"You're awake. That's nice." Derek sat down on the chair next to the bed. Stiles didn't say anything at first. He just smiled widely, and there seemed to be a sparkle in his eyes. Derek suspected that it was just excess water that created this effect, and wondered if Stiles was about to cry.

Eventually, the guy cleared his throat and reached his hand out to Derek. "I'm a little exhausted, but yeah, awake." Derek grabbed the hand and lifted it to his lips. "It's okay, right? That I came now. I mean... I can just watch you sleep." He kissed the fingertips. "Did that more or less the whole day today."

Stiles eyes widened a little. "You were here? Oh, yeah, you were here. I remember now. Vaguely." He gazed out into the air. "I'm sorry. I was so doped up earlier, but I know. I remember." He moved his hand in Derek's grip and clenched his finger around the Alpha's. This time he managed to do it. It wasn't like earlier, when he had no strength. "I'm gonna try to stay awake for you this time."

Derek leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "Don't worry about it. You need the sleep. This time I brought reading material." He let go of Stiles' hand and reached for his bag. "Can you eat?" Looking at Stiles, he felt instantly embarrassed. What he was about to pull out of the bag was making him very self-conscious. The little basket of strawberries felt heavy in his hand. There was an odd intimacy in bringing strawberries, and Derek wondered what Stiles would think about it. He didn't want to be perceived as a softie, but they had looked so delicious at the store and he couldn't resist.

"Strawberries? I love strawberries." Stiles grabbed Derek's hand holding the basket and pulled it closer to himself. "I love you so much and I think... maybe you love me too? I dreamed that you told me... did you?"

Derek turned his head down for a split second. He understood that Stiles hadn't been alert enough this morning. He wondered if he should repeat himself or just hope that Stiles would just instantly fall asleep again.

Watching as Stiles popped a berry into his mouth, Derek lifted his hand and stroke Stiles cheek. "I might have. Possibly." He closed his eyes and sighed as he felt Stiles' hand cover his own. "Derek, don't be silly." He struggled a little because he was still chewing strawberries. "Honesty is a virtue. Can you please... I know what you said. I just want you to admit it." He swallowed and gave Derek a mischievous grin. "You thought I was sleeping, it doesn't count."

Stiles grabbed another strawberry, and took a bite from it before he reached his hand out and nudged the other half against Derek's lip. He opened his mouth and let Stiles feed him the piece letting his tongue brush the fingertips holding it. A soft moan escaped Stiles, and Derek couldn't help smiling a little as he concentrated his gaze on his own knee. "I do, I love you. Satisfied? Will you stop nagging me about it now?"

Was that a whimper? Derek lifted his head in surprise. Stiles seemed to be fighting not to cry, his eyes clenched shut. "Are you okay?" Derek grabbed his hand and squeezed it gently. Stiles nodded. "I'm fine," he hitched out, "better than fine." With a sigh, he lifted his hand to his eyes and wiped them. "Sorry, I'm just... I'm happy and I'm tired and...strawberries, and I'm in pain, and you love me."

-o-o-o-o-

"Mom! Mom? I... What?" Scott did his best to contain himself until they came outside, but then, he almost exploded. "You can't be serious? Derek... and Stiles. You can't possibly support that?" He walked backwards towards his mom's car staring intently into her eyes. When he stumbled on the curb, he had to grab on to her sleeve to keep himself upright.

His mom stood firm as he collected himself. Then, she smiled at him and shook her head. "I don't understand all this werewolf stuff. I try, I really try. I try to treat you as normal human beings even though..." She walked around to the other side of the car, and gestured for Scott to get in on the passenger side. "If you have human emotions I have to assume that Derek has them too. Derek cares for Stiles. Really."

Scott got into the car, and waited as his mom started it before he turned to her. "You don't know him. He's damaged goods. He wouldn't know love if it hit him in the face. I'm trying to believe but... how can you be so casual about this?"

It took a while before his mom replied. She was busy maneuvering the car out of the parking-lot. "Stiles is young, you all are. If he thinks he's in love... well, if." She paused for a second. "People can fall in love several times, I was young once. You think it's forever, but things change. This is now and we shouldn't question it."

Scott looked down on his lap and took a deep breath. "Not for us, not wolves. If Derek takes Stiles as his, his mate..." He had to turn away when he felt a blush coming on. "It's different for us."

Melissa huffed and rolled her eyes. "Different? Yeah, but Stiles is not a wolf. He's just a normal boy. He could just be going trough a phase. Derek is handsome and that body..." She shrugged, as Scott flipped his head around and stared at her. "MOM! Don't even... How can you? It's embarrassing."

A little chuckle came out before his mom gave him a lopsided smile. "Relax. I'm old enough to be his mother, but I have eyes and I am a woman." She patted her sons arm. "Bottom line is, I can understand if Stiles fell for him." Pulling into their driveway, she looked at Scott again. "I thought he was straight though, I thought they both were, but it's, it's, I don't know... If they like each other... If they are in love... well, deal with it."

Scott jumped out of the car and as he stomped towards the door he threw his hands out. "It's like I don't know you. This you are okay with, but me and Allison... you frown upon." He dug into his pocked for the key. "What's up with that?"

His mom had caught up with him as he unlocked the door. "She's an Argent and you are a werewolf, go figure. I'm a little worried." She handed Scott two shopping bags before Scott opened the door. "A little help, please." She was about to go back to the car to pick up the rest when she cocked her head and patted her son's cheek. "And I'm still way to young to become a grandmother. That is definitely not anything Mr Stilinski needs to worry about at the moment."

Scott almost ran inside to avoid the look on his mom's face. It was just way too embarrassing. How could she? The fact that she knew that he and Allison wasn't just playing cards and doing homework together, didn't mean that she could just say it out loud like that; and hinting to Stiles and Derek having sex was even more disturbing; not to mention her description of Derek's body. Scott was appalled by his own mom's dirty thoughts.

Mrs McCall came through the door only seconds later. She was carrying a couple more bags, and was laughing as she set them on the table. "Tsk, get over it. Do you really think grown-ups are that stupid? We know stuff. We know what you guys are doing, because we've been there... done that."

That was it. He was not going to listen to her anymore. Scott had put away some of the groceries, but now he left it for his mom and rushed upstairs to his room. He dug out his phone and called Allison. He needed some sanity in his life again. A trigger-happy werewolf hunter was perfect therapy for his disturbed mind.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

The strawberries didn't sit well. Stiles felt a little nauseous after pretty much devouring the contents of that little basket all by himself. He'd tried to get Derek to eat some, but the wolf had only had a couple. Stiles hadn't eaten much for almost two days, and should probably have chosen something else to still the hunger.

He was pretty sure that the concussion was partly to blame for not feeling so good at the moment, but he still didn't want to tell Derek.

Fighting the urge to puke was a little easier when he held onto Derek's hand. The wolf – his wolf – was slumped down on the seat next to the bed. He was obviously tired, but kept caressing Stiles' fingers while he, with the other hand, flipped through a magazine.

They hadn't really said much after Derek's declaration of love. Stiles had polished off the strawberries and feeling extremely full, he leaned back and rested. If he could just doze off a bit while the nausea went away, it would be good. He really didn't want to go to sleep though. Having Derek there, knowing that they had the same feelings for each other, was really too good to be true.

After all those vivid scary nightmares he'd had lately, he actually feared that this too was only a dream. In spite of the discomfort, he didn't want to wake up from this dream. He wanted to hang in there to make sure that Derek didn't suddenly vanish.

Eventually, he had to cave in. It was not sleep that took him; Stiles' bladder was suddenly - and without warning - screaming for attention. He didn't want to have to call a nurse's assistant. He decided to try to get to the bathroom instead of having to suffer through the humiliation of having someone sticking his dick into one of those plastic urinal-things.

Derek managed to find a wheelchair outside the room and without hesitation, he lifted Stiles off the bed and into the chair. The bathroom was just across the hall and with werewolf speed, Derek maneuvered them in there without being spotted.

While Stiles struggled to get his butt on the toilet, Derek moved away to give him some privacy. He knew he could have used some help, but was happy to do this himself.

Of course they got caught. The nurse that caught them getting back to the room was not happy to discover that he had a visitor so late at night. On the other hand, the fact that he'd been able to get out of bed was perceived as a positive thing.

"You have to leave." She addressed Derek but then turned to Stiles. "I'm glad to see that you out of bed. It means that you can probably go home tomorrow."

After convincing her to leave them alone for a few minutes, Derek lifted Stiles back onto the bed and kissed him on the forehead. "I'll see you around. Call me." Stiles eased his arms around Derek's neck and pulled him closer. "I want to kiss you but my breath would probably kill you," he chuckled a little, "or maybe not, you'll probably heal from that too, but still."


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> New plans are in the making. Scott are supporting those plans. For Stiles it sounds like the worst possible outcome ever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My story isn't even close to canon, but I will try to keep up with the new development. Loved the new episode. Twisted and confusing.

After rounds the next morning, Stiles called his dad and told him that they were sending him home. His dad didn't really sound too pleased. It was somewhat disturbing, but when the sheriff came to pick him up he apologized. "Sorry son, but we still have problems at the station and... having you in the hospital felt safe."

After getting dressed, which was kind of a struggle in itself, Stiles managed to get out of bed. He tried to keep a straight face when his sore ankle hit the floor. "I'm really fine. I can handle myself." He slumped down in the wheelchair provided for his exit, and gave his dad an encouraging look. The moment he said those words, he knew he'd exaggerated it somewhat.

With his left arm in a sort of sling, he was unable to move the chair. "Okay then. I'm not as mobile as I thought, but at home it'll be okay. I promise not to be a burden." He could see his dad roll his eyes, and he knew what he was thinking.

"I promise not to do anything stupid. Really." Knowing that he was pretty famous for getting into trouble, he tried to give the sheriff an innocent look. "I can't really do much anyway. Scott an Allison and, and... Derek will help, I'm sure."

He stared into his dad's eyes when he mentioned Derek's name and was happy to discover that the sheriff didn't change his expression. "Well, we just have to figure out how to manage. I just don't want to leave you alone for an extended period of time." His dad sighed and grabbed the handles of the chair. "Let's get you home."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

When Scott came out from school in the afternoon, Derek was in the parking-lot. When the Alpha waved him over, he reluctantly approached. He didn't want another confrontation about Stiles and the relationship between Derek and his best friend. He'd done his best to keep it out of his head the whole day.

"Derek, I, I try. If you are gonna reason with me, it's futile. I have to deal with it in my own pace." He sighed and dumped his bag on the ground next to Derek's car. "If Stiles is happy, and I think he is, I will do my best, but..." Derek scoffed and shook his head. "No, it's not that." He opened the door on the passenger side. "Get in. We have other fish to fry."

Scott gestured towards the school. "But, uh, Allison?" As he watched he could see her coming out, but she was met by her dad and pretty much shoved into his car. Scott turned to Derek. "What's going on? She... we had plans."

Derek was now on the other side of the car, and gestured for Scott to get in. "I'll explain, come on." He jumped into the driver's seat, and Scott didn't really see any other option than to do as he was told.

Speeding away from school, Derek didn't say much at first. When they came closer to his apartment, he slowed down somewhat. "The Alphas are not gonna give up. We humiliated them and killed almost the whole pack. Pay-back-time is coming. Be prepared." After saying the words Derek drew his breath heavily before he continued. "Chris doesn't want to let Allison out of sight, and I understand him."

For a moment Scott got a bit thrown off. He'd thought it was over. They chased the wolves out of town. "How do you know? Isn't it possible that they gave up?" He looked at Derek and received a smirk in return. "Yeah, right! Would you? I mean, if it was the other way around." The car came to a halt and Derek jumped out. "We have to prepare for their return."

Upstairs Derek put on some coffee before a perched himself on a stool by the kitchen counter. Scott slumped down on the couch. "But having Chris and Allison on the team... By the way, when did you talk to Chris? When did the two of you... become chums?"

Derek let out a little chuckle. "We're not, but this is a special occasion. He asked me, or more correctly, he told me that he expected them to come back," he threw a quick peek at the coffeemaker before he got up and grabbed two cups from the cupboard. "I couldn't agree more, so we concocted a temporary plan."

Baffled by these news, Scott took the cup he was offered and took a sip. "Ugh, sugar please." After the two sugar-cubes he was handed were thoroughly stirred into the coffee, he relaxed back in the seat and stared at Derek. "So! The plan! Tell me!"

With a sigh, Derek sat down again. "If they come back alone, we can take them. The two of us can handle it." He shrugged a little. "It depends on how desperate they are." He was about to continue when Scott interrupted. "They're Alphas. We, well I'm not sure I can... We could need some help." To Scott's surprise, Derek started laughing. "We're our own little Alpha-pack. We just have to stick together and fight them as one entity."

Scott still didn't understand why this was even remotely funny. "Yeah, right! You seem to forget one small detail. I'm not an Alpha!" There was still a smile tugging Derek's lips. It wasn't a common sight, so Scott actually got a little worried. "Scott! You didn't know? When that werewolf attacked Allison your eyes went bright red and you became the Alpha of your own pack. Your human pack."

Before Scott got a chance to comment on these baffling news, Derek continued. "We have to join forces. We have to form a united pack. Your people and my people." He rolled his eyes. "Well my person, Isaac."

Scott knew that Boyd and Erica were AWOL, which meant that Derek technically didn't have a pack anymore. "What about Stiles?" Scott dared the question, and could see that Derek tensed up. "Yeah, what about Stiles?" Derek repeated, staring intently at him.

Slightly uncomfortable under the stare, Scott huffed a little. "Well, if you two, you know... If you two are a couple, I mean..." Derek got up and started pacing. "It's really his own choice. For now we can not care about that. We have to protect them. Stiles, Allison, your mom, maybe even..." Before he had finished Scott cut him off. "My mom? What does she have to do with this?"

Derek didn't need to answer. Scott knew what he meant. All their loved ones were at risk. They had to do whatever it took to protect them. "I see. Okay. We can make this temporary union and fight. Tell me the plan."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Stiles was propped up on the couch with a few magazines and the remote to the stereo within reach. His dad had left him with strict instructions not to overdo the reading and not under any circumstances turn on the TV or use the computer. "Remember, you have a concussion," he'd said with a concerned expression on his face.

He'd got a couple of crutches from the hospital, but with his shoulder still out of commission, he could only use one. The bathroom wasn't that far away so he figured it would be possible to get there on his own, but his dad had urged him to call if he needed some help. "Maybe Scott can come over for a while?" he suggested before he eventually left Stiles alone.

It took less than ten minutes before Stiles was bored out of his mind. He'd of course tried to call both Derek and Scott, but none of them picked up. It didn't worry him too much. Scott was possibly still at school, and Derek sometimes left the phone in the car by accident.

After flipping through a couple of the magazines, he threw them back on the table and searched for the TV-remote. It was nowhere to be seen, and Stiles suspected that his dad had hid it. He tried to call Derek again, but there were still no reply. Scott would probably check his phone as soon as he got out of school, so Stiles didn't bother to try him.

Grumpy and tired, he tried to get comfortable enough to get some shuteye. Lying there staring into the ceiling wasn't an option, and he was not desperate enough to even try to get up to turn on the TV manually.

When the phone rang, Stiles startled and had to search for it between the covers. Disappointed, he looked at the caller ID. It was his dad. "Hi, everything fine?" Mr Stilinski sounded a bit stressed. "I have only a few minutes now, but I'll try to come home for a little while... later in the evening." Stiles tried to hide his disappointment. "I'm fine. I was sleeping, but it's okay." He listened to his dad's apologies and had to cut him off. "Really, it's fine. I'm just a little bored. I'll call you if I need you to come, don't worry."

After they hung up, he discovered that he'd slept for almost an hour. He wasn't sure if he was annoyed or just sad that neither Derek nor Scott had called him back. "What the f... Don't they know I'm an invalid? Have they forgotten that I exist?" He said out loud to himself.

After sending a text, he grabbed a bottle of water from the cooler that his dad so conveniently had placed next to the couch. A scary thought ran through his mind. What if they were in trouble? What if the Alphas were back and... Stiles picked up his phone again and tried Derek's number. There were still no answer. Stiles started to get seriously concerned. He typed another text message and sent it, hoping to get an answer sooner or later.

For a split second, he'd contemplated the idea of calling the sheriff and ask him to check, but before the thought had left his mind the phone rang. It was Scott. "Thank God. Finally." He sighed heavily. "I called you. I, are you okay?" Scott was obviously thrown back by the urgency in his voice. "Yeah. Are you? You sound, you sound distressed."

Stiles didn't answer the question. "Derek! Is he okay? I called. None of you picked up." He could hear that he sounded a bit like a whiny baby. "I mean, I worried." He tried to relax somewhat. Scott cleared his throat. "Derek is fine. I just came from his place."

Stiles sat up abruptly and gasped a little from the pain in his ribs. "You what? Why?" That made no sense. The two of them hanging out casually while he himself was bedridden and lonely made him a little annoyed. "So now that I'm out of the hospital, you guys just... forgot me?"

Scott huffed. "Of course not. Are you okay? Are you alone? I'm coming over." He didn't give Stiles a chance to answer before he hung up. Stiles looked at the phone and wondered what was going on. Shortly after, the doorbell rang. "IT'S OPEN!" He yelled out before Scott came through the door.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

When Scott left, Derek decided to contact Stiles. He knew that if they had been secretive before, now it was even more urgent to keep the relationship under wraps. If even as much as a rumor got out, Stiles would definitely be a target for the Alphas. They'd already sniffed out that Scott and Allison were an item, and that had almost ended bad for all of them.

He searched through his pockets, but couldn't find the phone. He knew it was probably in the car, so he decided to go out to get something to eat while he called Stiles. He grabbed his jacket and headed outside.

There were four missed calls and two messages from Stiles. Derek wanted to go directly to his house. The guy was possibly both worried and pissed off.

"I miss you, Call me."

Derek had to smile to himself. The warm and fuzzy feeling he got inside when he read the message was very unfamiliar to him. They weren't totally unwelcome, but he wasn't sure how to handle himself. The next message from Stiles wasn't as cute and polite.

"I'm lonely. I need you. If you are still alive I'll kill you myself for abandoning me. I'm bored out of my mind and I can't get a hold of Scott either. I'll send my dad to pick you up if you keep ignoring me."

The message made Derek chuckle, and he decided to answer it before he went to pick up some food.

"You're gonna kill a werewolf? Good luck with that. Sorry, I left the phone in the car. Can I come? Are you alone?"

It took less than five seconds before the answer came. "Come!"

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Scott stared at him with a frown on his face. "One text and you just cave in. I thought you were angry at him. I mean, since he didn't pick up before." He rolled his eyes, and Stiles could see that his friends face hardened. "You're so whipped. I worry about you."

Stiles sighed and gave Scott a lopsided smile. "You're so wrong. I'm not whipped or threatened by Derek. I love him." With a chuckle he continued. "You have to understand. Even if he scared me before, it's not like that anymore."

With a scoff, Scott got up from the recliner and walked over to the window. "He could kill you in seconds and you wouldn't even have time to scream. Are you sure you're not intimidated?" Even with his back turned to Stiles, it was evident that Scott was both angry and concerned.

"You could kill me in seconds, that doesn't mean I'm scared of you. I trust you, and I trust Derek." Stiles watched as Scott turned slowly. "It's different. I'm your friend, I'd never hurt you." The pained expression on his face actually annoyed Stiles. "God damn it. You are jealous. I'm sorry if this relationship doesn't sit well with you, but if you are my friend you should at least try." He saw that Scott was about to say something, but Stiles lifted his hand to stop him. "Don't act like it's about you and your feelings."

There was a faint flash of red in Scott's eyes before his posture suddenly changed. He lowered his shoulders and looked down on the floor. "Maybe I am. Maybe I am jealous. I'm losing you, man. I'm not your favorite werewolf anymore." He tried on a little smile. "And I can't help but think that this is a very lopsided relationship." He lifted his head and shrugged. "Derek doesn't have a very successful history with previous, uh, hmm, lovers." Scott's face turned pink and he looked away for a second. "I mean, I don't want you to end up, like, uh, dead."

The conversation was suddenly over when they heard a knock on the door. Scott huffed and went over to open it. "Derek, hi!" He stepped back to let Derek inside. A delicious scent of food filled the room. "Hello Scott. I brought some Chinese, I think it'll be enough for you too." He put two bags on the floor as he bent down to untie his shoes. "Everything okay?" He shifted his gaze between Scott and Stiles before he grabbed the bags again and walked towards the kitchen. "Scott? Can you find plates, I'm not very familiar in this kitchen."

Stiles felt totally overlooked as the two guys seemed to measure each other. "Derek! I'm here and I'm fine by the way, if you want to know." He cleared his throat. "I can't really get up to greet you, not easily anyway, so you have to come here."

With a smirk in Scott's direction, Derek came back into the living room leaving Scott to deal with the food. "Sorry. I didn't really know... I overheard you two, you know. I didn't want to make Scott more uncomfortable." He squatted next to the couch and gave Stiles' cheek a gentle stroke. "I know it's difficult enough for him to deal with this."

Stiles eased his hand around Derek's neck, and pulled him closer. "Scott! You just have to look away for a second," he said, as he closed the gap between them and gave Derek a kiss on the lips. "This will have to do for now." A grunt from the kitchen told him that Scott was perfectly aware of what happened. Stiles gave Derek a wink. "I could eat, let's eat and drink and be merry."

-o-o-o-o-o-

It was not a merry meal. They sat at the kitchen table, after Derek had helped Stiles get there. Scott had set the table, and the it was littered with to-go-boxes. "Did you buy the whole menu?" Stiles turned to Derek and reached for one of the boxes. "It's a good thing Scott is here to help eat all of this." Derek shrugged. "I really didn't know what you wanted to eat, so I, I just picked up a variety."

After they had all served themselves, it was painstakingly quiet around the table. When Stiles' phone rang, both wolves jumped up from their seats to grab it from the couch. Scott was closer, and won the race. With a smirk in Derek's direction, he handed the phone to Stiles.

It was Mr. Stilinski asking how he was doing. "Dad, I'm fine. Derek and Scott are here. We're eating. You don't have to come. See you tonight." After he'd hung up, Stiles looked at his two companions. "Okay, can we try to behave like friends here? And when I say 'we' I mean you two."

Derek cleared his throat and sighed. "We're expecting the Alphas to come back. Me and Scott can take them, but if they bring enforcements, we need help." He reached over the table and covered Stiles' hand with his. "We have to be careful so they don't suspect that you... that we are," He threw a peek at Scott. "That we are together. They could do to you what they did to Allison."

Stiles looked at him. "But we are good at keeping it a secret, we can do it." He smiled and tilted his head to the side. Derek nodded slowly. "Yeah, but this is different. They can smell it. They can smell a mate if they are close enough. I have to stay away, I shouldn't even have come now. I'm putting you at risk just being here."

Realizing what Derek was really saying made Stiles' heart sink. "You mean, we have to... We can't see each other? NO! NO, Derek. For how long? I can't..." A tear was leaving the corner of his eye, and he hurried to wipe it away. "Maybe they won't come?"

Derek and Scott exchanged looks, and Scott drew his breath heavily. "I'll look after you and protect you. Derek will have to keep a low profile. We don't know for how long." The guy actually looked sad. "I do understand. I have to stay away from Allison. We just have to deal with this."

Stiles held his breath for a moment. "You deal! I don't want to. Derek! Please say it's not that bad! You can protect me." He looked at the two guys, and their grave faces disturbed him. "Seriously!" He huffed. "I'm not useless, I helped you guys! I'm the hero, remember! Don't do this to me! You guys are pissing me off now!" He pushed the plate away and struggled to his feet. "I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself."

Jumping on one leg increased the pain in his ribs, and the headache was starting to annoy him, but he managed to get to the couch on his own. Both Derek and Scott had got up too, and it looked like they weren't sure what to do. When Derek approached, Scott just shrugged and walked towards the door. "I'll be back tomorrow. Sleep on it."

As soon as Scott had left, Derek sat down on the couch and wrapped his arm around Stiles. "It will be okay. Patience is a virtue." They sat there for – forever. Then Derek turned and cupped Stiles' face with his hands. As he was about to lean in and kiss him, Derek suddenly pulled back. "Your dad is home." Seconds later sheriff Stilinski opened the door.


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry about the delay. I've been extremely busy lately and barely had time to write. The new episodes threw me off for a second too, but I decided to go my own way and keep to my initial plan. I was working on a shower-scene when I got a request from one of you lovely followers. It may not be what you wanted, but remember, Stiles is injured and can't really participate.
> 
> The plan that the wolves cooked together is not working. Someone had to take charge. I felt like my female characters needed more attention and decided to make Allison into something of a hero. It's not so clear in this chapter, but I know where this is heading and hopefully I'll be able to post chapter 21 sometime next weekend.

Stiles was seriously pissed off. He'd thought everything would be easier now when so many people knew about them anyway. Even if his dad didn't know squat, he accepted that Derek was a friend and that he could come by without any suspicion attached.

Staring into the ceiling in his room, Stiles started to feel sorry for himself. He felt so out of the loop because he was kind of stuck there. Under normal circumstances, he could have sneaked out and gone to Derek's place, but even taking a leak was a problem at the moment.

When Stiles' dad walked in the door that evening, Derek had jumped up from the couch and greeted him. He promised to clean up the mess in the kitchen, and even offered the leftovers to the sheriff. Mr Stilinski was pleased that he didn't have to make supper this late, so he took the offer and told Derek to not bother with the dishes. "I'll do it. I'm just happy Stiles didn't have to be alone all day."

The awkward silence that followed as the sheriff sampled the different dishes made Stiles a little giggly. Derek paced a little before he gestured towards the door. He was clearly uncomfortable in the situation. Stiles didn't want him to leave, and suggested that he could help him get to his room. "I really want to sleep in my own bed. Derek can help me get upstairs." Sheriff Stilinki was busy eating an eggroll and just nodded.

Leaning heavily on Derek's shoulder, Stiles managed to get a few steps up the stairs. As soon as they were out of sight from the sheriff, Derek lifted him and carried him bridal-style the rest of the way. In the hall, Stiles pointed to the bathroom door. "I really need to go. I should take a shower, but I need help and... I don't know..."

He wished he could have brought Derek with him in the shower, but with his dad downstairs, it was out of the question. "I'll just go and take a leak and brush my teeth. Tomorrow I may be able to get in the shower by myself."

After Stiles had done his business in the bathroom, Derek helped him to bed and tucked him in. They got to share one passionate kiss before a Derek again pulled back. "Sorry, your dad..." he whispered as he sat down casually on the chair by the desk.

Mr Stilinski gave the door a quick knock before he entered the room. "Everything's good?" He looked at Stiles before he shifted his gaze to Derek. "Thank you so much for the food. It wasn't necessary, but I do appreciate it."

He came over and stroke Stiles' cheek. "I'm happy you have such good friends." He looked at Derek again. "Thank you Mr Hale, uh, Derek. It's late though. I think we all need to get some shuteye. Please come back any time."

They didn't get a chance to say a proper goodbye. The sheriff pretty much scooted Derek out of the room. "Goodnight son. Say goodbye to your friend and thank him for being here for you."

Stiles wanted to thank him. He wanted to thank him in ways his dad couldn't even imagine, but he was left alone after a quick wave and a promise that he'd be back sometime.

After the conversation with Scott and Derek, Stiles knew that it could take a while and he fell asleep feeling utterly sorry for himself.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

As the rays of the morning sun hit the rooftop, Derek stared at the house. He didn't feel comfortable leaving Stiles in Scott's care. It wasn't because he didn't trust Scott, but it felt so wrong regardless. As mates, they were supposed to take care of each other, and leaving that task to someone else went against every instinct in Derek's mind.

He never went home. He'd just moved his car a few houses down the road and stayed. In the middle of the night, he'd got out and paced around for a while, contemplating on crawling up to Stiles' window. When a neighbor peeked out though the curtains and looked at him curiously, he got back in the car and pretended to drive off.

Now, the morning sun was bathing the neighborhood in light, and it made it look like the safest place on earth. Knowing that the sheriff was home Derek felt a little stupid for not trusting the guy to protect his son, but then again, the guy was unfamiliar with the threats to Stiles' life.

A squad car drove slowly down the road and stopped outside the house. Seconds later Mr Stilinski came out in his uniform. He jumped into the car and it took off. Derek watched it disappear around a corner down the road before he turned to the house again. Stiles was obviously left alone while the sheriff had to go to work.

"That can't be good." Derek said to himself. He didn't want to park the Camaro in Stiles' driveway, so he just left it where it was and walked up to the house. Knowing that he was braking all the rules they'd fine-tuned when they discussed how to take down the Alphas; he couldn't really stop himself.

He decided to try the front door first. It could be unlocked although he didn't expect it. Turned out it was, and Derek was horrified by the lack of security in the Stilinski household. He chose to forgive the sheriff. He was probably used to leaving before Stiles. Under normal circumstances, Stiles would be getting ready for school now and would be heading out in a few minutes anyway.

Sneaking up the stairs, he could hear that Stiles was sleeping. The even breath emitted from the room told Derek that Stiles was at ease. He stopped outside the door just to listen for a little while. He felt like knocking would be the the best thing to do, but since he already had overstepped a few boundaries just by entering the house, Derek decided to try to get into Stiles' room unnoticed.

He felt like an intruder. Although he knew that Stiles would never hold it against him, it was still a little awkward and slightly creepy. He was standing by the door for several minutes, just watching Stiles sleep.

Pretty sure that he hadn't made a sound, Derek got a little startled when Stiles' eyes suddenly opened. It obviously took a moment for him to focus, but then he smiled tiredly and patted the bed. "I'm happy to see you," he quacked out, before he cleared his throat a little. "What time is it? Where's dad? He let you in, that's awesome."

Derek felt a little uncomfortable. Twisting his hands, he walked over to the bed. "Uh, your dad left for work, I kinda, eh, broke in." Before Stiles got a chance to comment, Derek continued. "I mean, the front door was unlocked, so I technically didn't brake in." He sat down on the bed and grabbed Stiles' hand. "How are you doing? Feel any better? If you need more sleep, it's okay, I can just sit here."

The little shrug Stiles managed in his position seemed to be a little painful, because he clenched his eyes shut for a second. "Ouch! No, I'm good. I need..." He rolled his eyes and blushed. "I, I need to use the restroom, and I could definitely use a shower. We're alone, right?"

Derek smiled and nodded. "Yeah, we are, but I don't know for how long, I mean..." Before he'd completed the sentence, Stiles lifted his head and looked around. "Where's my phone, I can find out."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

After confirming that his dad was at work and wouldn't be home until lunchtime, Stiles gestured for Derek to help him out of bed. The sheriff had urged him to call if he needed help with anything. He'd also apologized for just leaving. "Just didn't want to wake you. I planned to call in a bit anyway, I told you I had to go in early."

Stiles had no recollection of this information, but pretended that he'd remembered. "Sure, dad. I just wanted to tell you that I'm fine. I feel much better today. See you around noon."

Leaning on Derek's shoulder, Stiles managed to get to the bathroom on his own feet. He couldn't really put much weight on the sore ankle, but it was definitely less painful than last night. He still chose to take a coupe of painkillers, because the pain in his chest from the fractured ribs made it a little hard to breathe.

He sent Derek to get them from his room while he used the toilet. Derek seemed to understand that he wanted to be alone for this, and he waited patiently outside until Stiles had done his business. As he leaned on the sink and scooted towards the shower, he told Derek to come in. "Sorry, it's just..." He didn't get to finish. Derek smiled and handed him the medication. "I understand. Everybody is entitled to a minimum of privacy."

After undressing – which he managed almost all by himself – he held on to the grab-bar inside the shower. "Okay, I could definitely use a chair of some sort." He tried to think, and remembered that they had a plastic garden stool in the garage. It took only minutes for Derek to find it and after cleaning the dust off it, he placed it in the shower for Stiles to sit on.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Scott was not comfortable going to school as usual. He felt torn between tending to Stiles and spending time with Allison. Knowing that Derek shouldn't come near Stiles for the time being, he wanted to hang there with his best friend.

He chose to go to school anyway. He thought about skipping a few classes, but knew it would be a stupid thing to do.

The first person he laid his eyes on as he approached the school-entrance was Allison. She waited for him on the stairs. "I'm sorry. Dad didn't let me out. He told me the reason and I understand, but...you have to come over. I miss you already." Scott knew exactly what she meant. He wanted to be with her. "Me too, but I have to look after Stiles. He's more vulnerable than any of us."

Allison knew the whole story. She knew why they had to stay away from each other. "Can we visit Stiles and pretend that it is for him?" She gave Scott a wink. "Let's skip school and go there."

Scott knew that he'd get in trouble for even thinking it. There was no way he was going to pass his exams if he skipped now. Allison could though, she was a straight-A student. "I can't, I have to be here. I have no leeway what so ever." He swallowed and looked at his girlfriend. "You could go there. I worry about him." with a sigh, he continued. "Derek could protect him, but we agreed that he should stay away from Stiles."

Thinking about Derek and Stiles being in a relationship was not something Scott found comforting at all, but still, he had this realization that Derek would be the only one who could protect Stiles from harm. It was actually painful to come to this conclusion. He looked down for a second. "I think we need to go over these rules again." He threw a quick peek at his girlfriend and sighed heavily. "I believe that Derek is the only one who can protect Stiles." When Allison looked at him as if he came from another planet, Scott felt the need to explain. "I know how he feels. I don't want this for Stiles, but it is a fact. They are mates. I have to tell him that I support him."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"Do you remember the first time you where in here?" Stiles was sitting on the garden stool still holding on to the grab-bar in the shower. "I was so turned on but I didn't dare to admit it." Derek chuckled a little. "Yeah, and I was so... out of it. Can I return the favor?" He lifted the shower-head off the handle and grabbed the soap-bar from its holder. "I'll be gentle."

Derek was gentle. More gentle than ever. Stiles leaned on the wall and indulged himself in the treatment. When his cock started to react he tried to calm down, but it wasn't easy. "Derek, I think... I can't really participate..."

Stiles had his eyes closed, and was not prepared for what happened next. When Derek's lips wrapped around his cock, it was like the world came to a halt. "I. NO! Yes! You sure?" He couldn't really do much anyway, and it felt so good that he didn't want to stop it.

Derek lifted his head for a moment and looked at him. "I want you so much, I love you so much. I want to give you a treat." He'd already pulled his shirt off and now, he got up and undressed completely. "Let me show you how it's done. No offense." Stiles knew exactly what he meant. Blow jobs were not what Stiles was best at.

At the moment, that didn't matter. Just drawing his breath was hard enough in the first place. With Derek sucking his dick, it became almost unbearable. "I...can...not...deal..." He actually tried to push Derek away, but then suddenly, the pain went away and all he craved was an orgasm.

His whole body trembled and without warning, he came violently and released his load into Derek's mouth. He felt embarrassed. Stiles knew he should have alerted him, but it was impossible. "I'm sorry. I couldn't... I..."

Derek lifted his head and spit the cum out in the shower. Then he gave Stiles a lopsided smile. "Don't worry about it. I'll survive. It was good, wasn't it?" All Stiles could do was to nod. Under the still streaming water, he had a hard time composing himself. "Derek! I don't know what to say. Or really, I want this again and again and again...I could die now."

Maybe it wasn't completely true; he didn't really want to die.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

They really hadn't planned this well enough. Scott keeping an eye on Stiles at the same time as he was tying to keep his mom safe, was not going to work. Allison sat at her desk and looked at Scott's dark head of hair in front of her. She knew she had to explain the whole situation for her dad and make him understand.

Scott couldn't just leave and stay with his best friend, but being at school didn't seem to help much. He was so totally distracted and stressed out, that Allison decided to make a whole new plan on her own.

After lunch, when she and Scott went their separate ways to attend their different classes, Allison pretended to enter the classroom. As soon as Scott had disappeared down the hall, she turned and headed outside. After a short hesitation, she jumped in the car. Her decision was made on where to go first.

Pulling up outside Derek's place made Allison feel a little stupid. It turned out his car was nowhere to be seen, so she just left to go to her next destination.

It was with a frown on her face that she noticed Derek's car on Stiles' block. It was parked a few houses down, but Allison knew instantly that Derek had broken his own rules. It could of course had been an emergency, but for some reason Allison didn't believe it.

She could see that both Stiles' and the sheriff's car was in the driveway, and wondered a bit. As soon as she'd parked, Allison pulled her phone out of her bag. She found Derek's number and called him. It took a little while before he answered. "Allison? What's up? Did something happen?" He sounded surprised, which was expected. The two of them weren't exactly buddies.

"So, this rule, that we should stay away from our boyfriends... I don't like it. I want to renegotiate." She smirked to herself in the rear-view mirror. Knowing that Derek had a keen sense of hearing, she kept her voice down. "I'm sure you'd like to have Stiles around, or at least be able to visit him from time to time."

The silence on the other end lasted for a little longer than she'd expected. "Hey, you there? We need to talk." A little huff came through the line before Derek cleared his throat. "I'm here, I understand how you feel, but we should really stick to the plan." He sighed and continued. "I wish that I could watch him all the time, but that's impossible. I, we need to..."

Allison broke him off, she couldn't play this game anymore. "Fuck you, Derek! I know where you are. You can't even follow your own rules. I'm coming in, We need to talk." She hung up and exited the car. Before she was half way up the driveway, Derek opened the door. He was barefoot and his hair was slightly damp.

"Not only could you not stay away from his house, obviously, you practically moved in." Allison pushed passed him and walked over the the couch where she slumped down. "You're a two-faced son-of-a-bitch!" She watched him as he slowly closed the door and leaned on it. "I know. I, I'm sorry I lied, or tried to lie about it." He gave out a humorless chuckle. "I agree with you, but how can I protect him around the clock. It's not like Mr Stilinski is really going to let me move in."

With her head tilted to the side, Allison looked at Derek and scoffed. "Maybe not, but that was not my new plan." She moved a little to get comfortable. "You should take Stiles home with you." The expression on Derek's face when she said it was slightly humorous. She still didn't laugh. "His dad needs to work more than he can with Stiles at home. A lot of the deputies are down with the flu, and the rest of them have to work overtime. With Stiles here, bedridden and practically helpless, Sheriff Stilinski can't take part and he's torn."

Derek didn't look convinced, but there was a spark in his eyes. "Yeah, right. How do you know?" He pushed away from the door, and padded across the floor towards the stairs. "And anyway, Stiles is better, he can easily... maybe not easily, but he can manage on his own. The sheriff knows this"

Now Allison shook her head and chuckled a little. "Sure, but his dad doesn't know that there are werewolves searching for him. Stiles just has to convince Mr Stilinski that he's not capable of taking care of himself." She watched Derek as he turned towards her again. "Just take him home. I'll deal with his dad. Scott and I can come later and then we're going to have a meeting," she stared at him and cocked her brow, "and I'm gonna make the rules."


	21. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Allison is being a busy-body and acts like she's a director of a play. She's proud of herself, but she has no idea if her 'actors' will be abe to stick to their lines. She is pretty sure that Derek will play his role perfectly, but Stiles himself can be loose canon. She is perfectly aware of the selfish reasons to do this, but deep down she knows that Stiles will be safer with Derek.

Stiles didn't even know what had happened. One moment, he was sleeping soundly – slightly drugged from the painkillers he'd consumed – the next, he was urged out of bed by Derek. While Allison – Allison? – sifted through his closet.

"There has been a slight change of plans. You're moving." Allison – with her back turned to him – emptied the bag with his lacrosse gear, and started to fill it up with regular clothes. Stiles jumped towards her while he at the same time shifted his gaze between her and Derek. "What? Moving? I... you can't." Rolling his eyes, he had to grab on to the chair to keep himself upright. "Moving where?"

He suddenly became painfully aware of the fact that he was completely naked. Derek was obviously aware of this as well, and hurried to wrap a blanket around his body. "You're coming home with me. I'll take care of you. It's the most sane thing to do."

When Allison turned slightly to throw a pair of boxers at him, she blushed a little. "Sorry. I didn't mean to peek. I just... I think you should get dressed." Stiles picked the underwear off his shoulder where it had landed and slumped down on the bed. "I really don't know what kind of game you guys are playing, but I can't just... – although, there's nothing I want more – but I can't just move out."

He could see Derek and Allison exchange looks, and then the both of them sighed. "Stiles!" It was sort of an odd harmony in the way they both said his name simultaneously, but then they went quiet. Derek grabbed a pair of jeans from Allison's hands and sat down next to Stiles. "It'll make sense. I'm taking you home. I'm bringing you to the place you belong."

The little scoff from Allison made them both look at her. Derek shook his head. "It was your idea. There's no reason for you to frown upon it." Stiles could see that the two of them stared at each other. Then Allison shrugged a little. "Yeah, I know. But it may not be... I mean, it's just temporary. I can convince Mr Stilinski that this is the right thing to do for now, but eventually Stiles will get better..."

If he had been confused before, this new information threw him off big time. "CAN ANYONE TELL ME WHAT'S REALLY GOING ON." Stiles could feel the pain in his ribs as he practically yelled the words out. "I don't mind going to Derek's." He looked at Allison, feeling that she was the one in charge at the moment. "I just want to be informed."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"She didn't show up." Vicky just shrugged and forced herself past Scott in the doorway. He turned his head, and then he followed her down the hall. "What do you mean, 'she didn't show up'? I saw her enter the room." The girl had stopped next to her locker and was busy trying to open it. "What part of this don't you understand? Allison – didn't – show – up – for – class. I don't know where she's at."

Scott didn't want to bother Vicky anymore. He had never exchanged a word with her previously, and her statement was easy to understand. He'd just asked the last person coming out of the room when he discovered that Allison was not among them.

Baffled by the information, Scott decided to call her. He had a few minutes left before he had to attend the next class. When she didn't answer, he felt a shiver down his spine. He didn't want to call Chris. If Allison had just skipped this class for some odd reason, her dad didn't need to know. Running down the hall to avoid being late for chemistry, he sent her a quick text - hoping she was okay and that she'd answer it shortly.

The reply came fifteen minuted later. Scott felt the vibration in his pocket, and managed to read the text without the teacher noticing.

"I'm taking care of Stiles. Meet me at Derek's place after school." As he read it, another message came. "Call if you need me to pick you up."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Melissa was on her way to work when she got a call from Allison. "Hey Allison. This was a surprise. Scott should be at school, but when you're calling me, I'm getting a little worried." She knew perfectly well that her son was more into sports – and technically anything else but school, and with the threat from werewolves, she obviously got a little concerned.

"He is at school, don't worry. I need your help though. Can we meet?" Allison sounded distressed, and Melissa really wanted to know why the girl called in the first place. "I have fifteen minutes before I have to start. Where are you? Can you come to the hospital?"

Allison gave out a small chuckle. "I'm here already... Oh, and I can see your car." She hung up and seconds later Melissa could see the girl in the parking lot.

As soon as she got out of the car, Allison was there grabbing her bag out from the back seat. "Sorry Mrs McCall. I'm going to ask you for a favor. A big favor. Something that I'm not even sure you can pull off."

Mrs McCall was slightly intrigued by the statement. "Try me. I've had to deal with a lot of shit lately... sorry, but it's true. You teenagers don't believe that grown ups can think for themselves even. Tell me what you need."

What Allison told her made her shiver a little. "Do you really think that Stiles is in danger? Does it mean that I'm in danger too?" When Allison nodded slowly and then grabbed her hand, Melissa sighed and shook her head. "I understand. You want me to help you explain to the sheriff why Stiles has to be at Derek's place? Without telling him about the werewolves." She huffed. "I'll do my best, but I can't promise anything."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

After talking to Scott's mom, Allison went back to the Stilinski-house. She sat down on the front porch waiting for the sheriff to get home. She had no idea what to say, but she relied on her charm to convince the guy that this was the best course of action.

In the meantime, she called Derek and told him about her talk with Mrs McCall. "I hope the two of you can make this story plausible. Scott will come later." After confirming that he'd understood, Derek hung up.

She looked at her phone and realized that all of this had taken less time than she first anticipated. Scott was going to be out of school in about a half hour. He'd hopefully go straight to Derek's place where they could all explain everything to him together.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Scott had no means of getting to Derek's house easily. Under normal circumstances, he would have taken the bus home, but this was far from normal circumstances. He was standing in the parking lot contemplating on calling Allison to pick him up, when Isaac came directly towards him.

"Need a lift?" Isaac waived and gestured towards an old beat-up Toyota. "I'll take you home." He smiled as Scott walked towards him. "I, I'm not going home. I have to go to Derek's place, so if you don't mind..." Isaac's eyes widened a little, but then he just shrugged. "Whatever. Come on."

It was a bumpy ride. Isaac wasn't the best driver and the car was not in mint condition. It didn't help much that it had standard shift. "Sorry, I'm not very good with the stick-shift, and this car is old." Isaac gave Scott a lopsided smile as he did his best to parallel-park outside Derek's place. "I'll get a hang of it eventually, and we did make it here."

Scott jumped out and watched as Isaac locked the car and came towards him. "Thanks for the lift. I'm not sure... I think my life flashed before my eyes." He smiled tentatively, not knowing if Isaac could handle the obvious criticism.

Isaac just walked towards the door. "Yeah, I know. If you need some extra excitement in your life, you should take a ride with me." He pulled the front door to Derek's place open and gestured for Scott to get inside. "Derek got this car for me. It's a piece of crap, but it gets me places."

For a moment, Scott wondered what kind of relationship Derek and Isaac had. It had never been an issue before, but now that he knew that Derek was kind of indifferent to sexual orientation, it was disturbing. Scott forced those unwanted thoughts away and followed Isaac upstairs.

The door to Derek's apartment was locked, and Isaac searched for the key in his pocket. Before he'd dug it out, someone unlocked it from the inside. Derek stepped to the side and let the two of them in.

Stiles was sitting – or rather lying – on the couch partially tucked in a blanket. He was cradling a cup of tea in his hands. "Hi, guys! Welcome." He looked so little and fragile; he had his eyes wide open and a lopsided smile on his lips.

Scott rushed over to him. "What are you doing here? You're supposed to be recovering, at home." He sat down on the edge of the couch and threw a peek at Derek. "What's going on?" Stiles shrugged and rolled his eyes. "I don't even know. One moment I was at home, safe and sound, the next I was here." He chuckled a little, but it was obviously painful to laugh because he scrunched his face. "Sorry, joking. Maybe not completely sound. I just... I was kidnapped."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

When the Sheriff exited the car, Allison got up and walked towards him. She was still not sure what to say, but relied on her wits. He stopped and greeted her with a worried expression on his face. "Uh, hm. Mr. Stilinski, don't worry, but Stiles is not here." She could see that he got a little thrown off by the statement, but she continued before he managed to say anything. "He had an accident. No, nothing serious. He passed out."

Wide-eyed, the sheriff grabbed her arm. "Is he in the hospital? Why didn't anyone call me? How is he doing?" He looked scared. Allison smiled and shook her head. "No, it's okay. He's at Derek's. He's fine. Mrs McCall, uh, Melissa said it was better that he he had someone look after him around the clock." She had to take a breath. "I mean, Derek offered and Stiles didn't want to go to the hospital."

Mr Stilinski pulled on Allison's sleeve. "Where? This is ridiculous. I can take care of my own son." He unlocked his car and gestured for her to get inside. "Take me there." He let go of her sleeve as Allison pointed to her own car. "I will, but I'll go in my own car. You can follow."

Twisting her hands, she hesitated a little. "Mr Stilinski, I'm sorry about this, and it's not like anyone think that you can't take care of him. It's just... we know about the situation at the station. The deputies and the office staff are... well sick, and you have to..."

The sheriff waved a hand in the air and frowned. "Shut up, girl. I will make that decision. Take me to him now!" He practically pushed her away and jumped in his own car. Before he closed the door, he turned to her again. "I'm sure your intentions are good, but... Let's go."

When Allison pulled over outside Derek's place, she got out and waited for the sheriff to catch up. As she was about to open the front door, he stopped her. "Wait a second. Tell me... Who is this Derek? I mean, I know about the Hale family and I've seen him around." He huffed and cleared his throat. "How come he can watch Stiles around the clock? Doesn't he work or study or anything?"

Allison bit her lip. She really didn't know what to say. She had no idea what Derek did when they didn't see him. For all she knew, he could be going to law school between the wolf-fights. He'd sometimes been gone for weeks. "Well, he has money. He doesn't have to work, but I don't..." She looked at Mr Stilinski and soon discovered that her attempt to explain didn't go around well.

"So he's just a kind of playboy type. Partying and..." Allison didn't let him finish. "Oh, no. He's very responsible. He's like, like a big brother. He has no family, we're his family." She knew she was exaggerating a little. She and Derek had never really been friends. "I mean, he, oh please Mr Stilinski, let him explain. I..." She sighed heavily. "I just know that he inherited everything from his parents, and he got a big settlement from the insurance company after the fire. He's rich."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Scott was pacing back and forth. After he'd received the text from Allison telling them that Stiles' dad was on his way, they'd prepared for the visit as best as they could. Isaac was sent out and told to stay away. Stiles was tucked into bed in Derek's room and pretended to be asleep.

"How on earth are we going to explain this?" Scott stopped pacing for a moment and looked at Derek. "I have a bad feeling. The guy is not... The sheriff, he's, there's no way..." He took up walking again and twisted his hands. Derek was standing by the kitchen counter humming. Humming!? "Derek, seriously. This is never going to go down well, and you are singing. I, I, I have no words."

A little chuckle was heard from the kitchen. "Relax, worst thing that can happen is that Mr Stilinski takes Stiles home again." Derek picked another cup out of the cupboard. "If you can't handle this, you should just leave."

Scott grunted and gave it a thought. Maybe he should leave. He'd been in and out of the Stilinski house since he was a toddler. The sheriff knew him too well and could probably tell if he was lying. "It'll be fine. I'll be fine." Bottom line was that he was extremely curious. He wanted to be there for this. He wanted to be there for Derek's downfall. He wanted to be there when Sheriff Stilinski told Derek off and took his son home.

It was a gentle knock. Derek rushed to the door and let Allison and Mr Stilinski in. "Welcome. I'm sorry. I did what I thought was best. Stiles is sleeping." Derek was disgustingly sweet. Scott could almost feel the nausea coming on. He turned and walked to the far end of the room. There was no way he was going to be a part of this.

"I'll check if his awake. You want some coffee, sir?" Derek was not behaving like himself, and it annoyed Scott greatly. If Stiles' dad was falling for this hypocritical person's ranting, it would surprise him. He tried to stay hidden in the shades to avoid any confrontation. There was no way in hell he was going to be able to pull off the same act as Derek was trying. Scott watched as the sheriff stopped short and grabbed the cup he was handed. "Uh, thanks, but I think..."

Derek smiled a shyly and cocked his head. 'What a fake!' Scott couldn't even believe what he saw. He'd always looked at Derek as the epiphany of cool. Now he was just behaving like a sappy, embarrassing sorry excuse for an Alpha.

Suddenly, Scott became aware of Allison standing next to the door waving and gesturing for him to come over. Moving against the wall while keeping in the shadow, Scott managed to get to Allison unnoticed. "What the... I can't believe you did this. I think..."

Allison just smiled and gave him a gently pat on the cheek. "I did what had to be done. I did it for us." She threw a quick peek over to the kitchen area. "If this works out, you and me can hang out and you wont have to worry about Stiles." They were whispering, so Sheriff Stilinski couldn't hear them.

Scott could easily see that Mr Stilinski was slightly thrown off by Derek's behavior. The guy was holding the cup and seemed to be in lack of words. It didn't last long though. Suddenly, he put the cup down so forcefully that the coffee splattered over the counter. "Take me to him." His voice wasn't more than a whisper, but it had an unmistakable edge. The sheriff was pissed off and was not ready to take any shit from anyone.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Stiles was nicely tucked in inside Derek's bed, and he tried to listen to what went on outside the door. He'd expected some yelling, and was surprised to find that he couldn't hear a word. He spent the time rehearsing his own role in this play. It should be easy. He only had to pretend to be less alert and in more pain than he really was.

There hadn't been much time for him to think through the whole scenario. Stiles was happy to be at Derek's place, but wasn't sure if he was ready to move in. He wanted to be with his wolf all the time, but this wasn't right. If the future showed that him and Derek was made for each other, Stiles would have wanted it to go down differently.

All this secrecy and lying was not for him. Stiles wanted to tell the world and get his dad's approval. He wanted to be able to show Derek off and be proud. Instead, he was forced to keep a low profile and lie to his dad.

The door opened slowly, and Stiles closed his eyes and pretended to sleep. "You awake?" Derek's voice reached his ear before the sound of the door hitting the wall startled him. "Stiles! Son! What is going on?" The sheriff didn't sound particularly happy and when Stiles opened his eyes, he could see his dad pushing Derek away to get to the bed.

"What happened? Did you hurt yourself? I heard you had an accident." Mr Stilinski sat down on the edge of the bed and grabbed Stiles' hand. "I'll take you home. I can... I'll organize someone to be with you."

It wasn't easy to hold back and look drowsy. "Uh, I, what? Where am I? Oh, no. I'm fine." Stiles pretended to rub the sleep out of his eyes before he focused on his dad's face. "I'm fine." He watched as Derek withdrew from the room and left. "Dad, I'm really fine. I just fell over. I didn't want to bother you, so I..."

It wasn't easy to remember everything he was suppose to say. He knew he could get his friends in trouble if he screwed up, so getting it right was crucial. "...so you called Allison? Of all people." The sheriff finished the sentence for him and Stiles was grateful. He did agree with his dad though. Why would he call Allison? "I, she, I mean. Her name came up first. On my phone. Starting on A, I needed to call someone."

The sheriff shook his head and closed his eyes for a second. "I wished you'd called me. You could have called me." He huffed and tilted his head a little. "If you're still... maybe you should be in the hospital. Maybe they sent you home too soon."

Stiles smiled and shook his head. "I don't want to. And this, this is like being in a hotel. I get pampered and I can just order whatever I want. It's kind of exciting." He scrunched his face a little as if he was in pain. "They just made this decision for me, but it's... okay. Melissa, Mrs McCall suggested the hospital, but I'll rather be here, and she okay-ed it sort of." He reached his hand out towards the nightstand. "Can you give me..." He pointed to the little bottle with painkillers. "I just need to sleep, I'm tired, and, and it's painful to talk too much. You can sit here with me."

The truth was that he wanted to pass out to avoid saying anything more. The pain was bearable and he wasn't sure if he should take another pill, but he was afraid that if he continued talking, he would eventually crack and reveal the lies. "Derek can explain. I just want to sleep now." Pushing this over on Derek didn't feel right, but he had no choice. He couldn't remember everything he was suppose to say anyway, so it was for the best.

Mr Stilinski got up and went over to the nightstand. There was a pitcher with water and a cup next to the pills. He picked up the little bottle and read the label. "Okay. If this what you think is best for now..." He got a pill out and handed it to his son before he poured water in the cup. "I need some sleep also." With a sigh, Mr Stilinski sat back down on the bed. "Maybe it is the best way... for now. I really should help out on the night-shift anyway."


	22. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Scott get's a surprise at Derek's place, but the next day turns out to be more eventful and slightly scary.
> 
> The sheriff is far from happy with the turn of events. Melissa takes things into her own hands to find out what happened.

Scott had decided to take a quick trip to Derek's place before he went home. After he and Allison snuck out from the apartment earlier, they'd spent the evening at the Argent-house. When he left in her car, it was with a promise to pick her up in the morning before school.

It was still fairly early and Scott didn't expect his mom home from work for another hour, so he didn't hesitate for a second driving towards Derek's place. He had to check on Stiles and he wondered if he was still there, or if Mr Stilinski had taken him home.

Derek's car was outside and Isaac's Toyota was parked a little further down the road. Inside the front door, he'd stopped and listened. There was music playing from upstairs. It was turned down low, but with his wolf-senses, Scott could still hear it. He could also hear faint whispers.

He knocked and waited until he heard Derek say 'come in' before he entered. The loft appeared different. All the lights were on and music was playing in the background. It had always looked gloomy before. The werewolves didn't need much light, so Derek rarely turned on more than necessary. Now it was bright and welcoming. Two new light-gray throw-rugs were covering most of the dark, worn-out wood floors. The coffee table had a white linen table cloth and the two candles, in their crystal candle holders, were flickering in the draft from the door.

The scene in front of him was surprising. Partially because of the lights, but mostly because he'd not expected to find the sheriff sitting on the couch. Stiles was propped up on one end seemingly half asleep. Derek was in the kitchen area with Isaac. They were obviously preparing some food.

"Hi Scott. What a surprise." Derek turned to him briefly before he continued with his task. The tone of his voice told Scott that he wasn't surprised at all. "You want a sandwich? We're having a late meal. Stiles slept all evening."

Totally and completely tongue-tied, Scott walked over to the two wolves. He wanted to ask all sorts of questions, but was slightly intimidated by Mr Stilinski's presence. The sheriff got up from the couch and approached them. "I have to go now. Take care of him. I'll be back in the morning." He waited until Derek turned, and then the two of them shook hands. "Of course. He's in good hands here. Come back anytime." Derek peeked over at Stiles before he again looked at the sheriff. "I'm up early, I'll have coffee ready."

It was like he'd entered an alternate universe. Scott gave Mr Stilinski a tentative smile and received a pat on the shoulder. "Hi, Scott. I guess you're here to check on Stiles? I appreciate it, but he's fine. I think we can both relax and leave this to these two fine boys." He nodded towards Derek and Isaac before he gave Scott a smile. "You should get some sleep. School-day tomorrow, you know."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Holding back the laughter was tough. Sitting there on Derek's couch, knowing that he could stay the night – with his dad's approval – was almost mind-blowing. Stiles was happy that Scott didn't come any closer. It would have been totally impossible to pretend to be woozy if Scott started questioning what was going on. He also worried that his friend would crack and accidentally reveal anything that should not be revealed.

It wasn't because Stiles didn't trust Scott. He'd trust him with his life, but it was perfectly clear that the guy was almost bursting from all the questions he had lined up in his head.

Stiles didn't feel completely alert. He was still under the influence of the medication, and he was so hungry that he was nauseous. He watched his dad leave after Scott had promised to go home soon.

The next second Scott was on the couch, throwing his hands out and rolling his eyes. "Eh, Eh, what?" He obviously had a bit of a problem forming a complete sentence, so he just stared at Stiles with disbelief.

"Well, what can I say? Allison was right. Dad has to work overtime, and can't really be there for me." Stiles drew his breath quickly and continued. "And you don't have to worry about me either. I am protected." Stiles nodded towards the kitchen where Isaac and Derek were preparing food. "You can concentrate on taking care of your mom; make sure she is safe."

Scott was still somewhat tongue-tied. He made a couple of attempts to speak, but it made him look like a fish out of water. Stiles almost started laughing. "I understand. You're so happy about this development that you can't find words." He had to chuckle a little. "Remember to thank Allison." Stiles gave Scott a wink. "She was the one coming up with this master plan."

With a huff, Scott leaned back on the couch and rubbed his eyes before he sighed heavily. "Even on drugs, you can manage to speak a mile a minute." He rolled his eyes. "I can't believe this. Was your dad here the whole evening?" He shook his head. "I can't believe this."

Stiles cocked his head and patted his friend's shoulder. "Oh, believe! Please! And no, he came back about a half hour ago." With a big smile on his face, he looked over to the kitchen area. "I'm being pampered here."

Scott tuned and watched Isaac coming towards them with a plate of food. "Don't get too used to it. I'm moving out. Derek will have to spoil you on his own." He put the tray down on the table and handed Stiles the plate. Both Stiles and Scott looked at him curiously. He shrugged. "Temporarily. I'm moving out temporarily. "

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Derek knew perfectly well that this was a temporary solution. When Stiles was well enough, he would have to go back home. This whole scenario was created to convince the sheriff that Stiles needed care around the clock because he was sick. Derek wondered about how long they could keep up this charade.

Mr Stilinski didn't know anything about the threats to his son's life, and Derek contemplated on telling him the whole truth. He felt like the guy deserved it. Going behind his back felt so wrong. After meeting him and getting to know him, somewhat, Derek felt bad about the secrecy.

It wasn't only the secrecy about the werewolves he felt the need to reveal. Derek wanted to walk up to Mr Stilinski and tell him that his son was spoken for; that he was... his mate.

He knew perfectly well that it wasn't an option at the moment – or anytime soon – but it was still a thought that he played with ever so often.

As soon as Scott had left and Isaac had withdrawn to his room, Derek helped Stiles to bed and made sure he was comfortable. Stiles was much better, and had almost managed to get to the bedroom on his own feet. After promising to be back shortly, Derek cleaned up the kitchen before he sat down on the couch with a drink.

The concussion was obviously still bothering Stiles. He tried to hide it, but Derek had noticed that he – with a pained expression on his face – constantly rubbed his forehead as to push the headache away. The fractured ribs only caused minimum pain, but Stiles was urged to take painkillers to ensure that he drew his breath properly. The collapsed lung seemed to be healing by itself, and the sprained ankle wasn't even swollen anymore.

It would probably only take a few days before Stiles was up and about. It would eventually be impossible for the guy to fake it anymore. Stiles was way too hyper to stay in bed and pretend to be incapacitated.

Derek suddenly realized that having Stiles there was a bad idea. In his own home, away from Derek, the wolf-scent could have been covered up. Now he would be reeking. It would be impossible to hide him from the Alphas.

Until the rest of the Alpha pack was killed or chased away for good, Stiles would be in more danger now than he'd ever been. As long as he was in the loft he was somewhat safe, but as soon as he set foot outside he'd be like bait for those who wanted revenge.

Not knowing if or when they'd come made it hard to plan anything. Derek and Isaac had searched the woods and tried to sniff them out, but so far there were no signs of them.

With a sigh, Derek got up from the couch and got ready for bed. Inside his room, he watched Stiles for a moment. The boy was curled up like a little ball as if he was cold. The second Derek eased himself under the covers behind Stiles and wrapped his arm over the sleeping body, Stiles scooted backwards into the embrace.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

The rumor reached Scott and Allison the moment they set foot on the stairs of the school. Scott, with his keen sense of hearing, could hear the whispers from the hallway before they even opened the door.

A dead person had been discovered in the woods late last evening. Angelica – a sophomore they barely knew – had been walking her dog with her dad when they found a partially decomposed body in the middle of the path. The girl herself didn't come to school – she'd been seriously shaken by the discovery – but she'd managed to call all her friends before a doctor had forced her to take some tranquilizers.

The body was not formally identified yet, but as far as Scott could make out, it was a girl with long, blond, and wavy hair. The description made him believe it could be Erica and before he and Allison entered the classroom, he made a call to his mom.

Scott knew that Derek and Isaac had trailed the woods in search of the Alphas without catching the scent of her, so he was pretty sure that the body must have been placed there recently.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

It had been the best sleep in days. Stiles could feel Derek's breath on his neck and the strong arms around him. He had no idea what time it was, but had a feeling it was still fairly early; at least early enough to stay in bed for a while longer. It wasn't that he and Derek had the whole day planned out and needed to be anywhere.

A little puff off air against his ear and a nibble on the earlobe told him that Derek was awake also. It all gave Stiles an arousal that made him hitch his breath. This felt so good, and he wished that he could wake up like this every morning.

When he scooted backwards a little, Stiles could feel that Derek was on the same page. He wasn't sure if he was ready to have sex yet, though. The pain in his chest was still bothering him, but just lying there, knowing that they were together was really good enough at the moment.

When Derek's hand eased itself under the waistband of his pajama-pants and wrapped around Stiles' boner, he almost cummed instantly. Derek gave him a few gentle strokes before the guy, suddenly and without warning, jumped out of bed and hurried towards the door.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Derek was half way through the living-room when the heard the banging on the front door. The moment he became aware of the fact that someone was trying to get in, he'd suspected that it was the Alphas. Now he was not so sure anymore. They would never make so much noise and alert everybody inside about their presence.

Isaac was up too, and as soon as he'd wiped the sleep out of his eyes he looked at Derek. "Who is it?" He took a few steps forward and tilted his head to the side as to listen more carefully. Derek was busy getting his pants on properly as he walked slowly towards the door. "Don't know. I can guess, but I really don't know."

He opened the door to the apartment and waited on the landing outside until he heard the pounding on the front door again. "OPEN UP! MR HALE! DEREK!" Sheriff Stilinski's voice reached him loud and clear from downstairs. Derek ran barefoot down the stairs and unlocked the door.

As soon as he pulled it open, Stiles' dad stumbled towards him. The sheriff managed to get his balance back and stopped for a moment to stare at Derek. "I need to talk to you... and Isaac. Consider yourselves witnesses."

Derek didn't know what to think, but he stepped aside and gestured for Mr Stilinski to ascend the stairs. The man looked tired and distressed, but the stare he gave Derek was unnerving. With a shrug, he turned away and put a foot on the first step. "Sorry! Is Stiles' alright?" With a sigh, he threw a glance over his shoulder as he slowly climbed the stairs.

Derek nodded, but realized that Mr Stilinski wasn't looking at him anymore. "Yeah, sure. Stiles is fine. He slept like a baby." He followed the sheriff tentatively. "What's up? That is not the reason you came."

Not another word was uttered until they were inside the apartment. Mr Stilinski panned the place with his eyes and let his them linger on Isaac for a moment. The boy was still standing in the doorway to his room with a curious look on his face.

"Mr Stilinski. I didn't expect you this early. I would have had coffee ready." Derek tried to be friendly and welcoming. The sheriff gave him a piercing look before he sat down on the couch. "This is not a social call." He shook his head and huffed. For a few seconds, he just sat there before he turned to Derek again. "Coffee would help."

It was five o'clock in the morning and Derek hurried to get the coffeemaker going. Isaac was still standing just outside his room and it seemed like he was about to turn to go back in, when Mr Stilinski looked up. "This concerns you too. Isaac, right? Isaac Lahey?" He paused for a second. "We found a body in the woods." Stiles' dad turned slowly towards Derek. "She isn't formally identified yet, but we think it's Erica Reyes." He threw his hands out. "Did you know her?"

Derek looked down for a second. He'd suspected that the girl was dead, but the confirmation was saddening. He nodded slowly. "Yeah, sort of." He could see that Isaac got a pained expression on his face, but the boy managed to cover it up before the sheriff noticed.

Derek could hardly wait until the coffee was ready. He picked two cups out of the cupboard and stared at the coffeemaker, as if urging it to go faster. Eventually, he just grabbed the pot and poured coffee into the cups. It was probably going to be too strong to be drinkable, but he served it regardless.

The expression on the sheriff's face when he took a sip was clear evidence to the fact. The guy recovered quickly,, and sighed heavily before he looked up. "Erica – if it is Erica – had a note attached to her shirt." Stilinski looked at both wolves. "I don't know what to think."

He pulled an evidence bag out of his pocket, and threw it on the table. Through the clear plastic, they could see that it was a piece of paper with some kind of list printed on. It was crumbled and dirty, but the words – or rather names – that were typed on it was easily readable.

Reyes

Boyd

Hale

McCall

Lahey

Next to the first two names, someone had drawn a symbol with a ballpoint pen. It was partially smudged but it could resemble a cross.

Underneath, two more names were added. They were also written in pen and partially covered in dirt. It made them hard to read since the paper obviously had been out there in the rain, pinned to a decomposed body. For the three of them, it was still as clear as if it had been written moments ago. The name 'Argent' had it's 't' partially torn off. The other name was slightly misspelled but there were no doubt what it said. 'Stlinsky' could only mean one thing.

The sheriff leaned back on the couch and took another sip from the cup of undrinkable coffee. "Why?" he said as his eyes met Derek's, "why is my name on this list?" He didn't wait for an answer. "Or is it my son?" He hesitated for a moment, but not long enough for Derek to get a word in. "Is this a hit-list?"

Derek knew exactly what the list meant. It was a warning. It was, in fact, a hit-list. Seeing Stiles' name on it made Derek shiver a little. He'd been so sure that the Alphas didn't know about him. "Uh, I, I don't know. What do you think?" Throwing the question back wasn't the best idea, but he couldn't come up with a plausible lie at the moment.

"Your name is next. Does it worry you?" The sheriff scrunched his face as he lifted the cup to his lips. Derek drew his breath and gave it a quick thought. "Uh, I, I don't know. I'm not the only Hale in the county." He knew instantly that the sheriff wouldn't get thrown off by this statement. They both knew for sure that the name on the list referred to Derek.

Stilinski looked up and huffed. "Sure, but..." Derek cut him off. "I know. It's me. I don't know how I feel. I can take care of myself. I..." He paused. He knew perfectly well that him taking care of Stiles would be affected by this. "This place is safe. Stiles is safe here. Safer than in his own room."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

When she got the call from her son, Melissa was just out of the shower. If what he said was true, a lot of things were going to change. She got dressed and headed for the hospital. It was still a few hours till she had to be at work, but curiosity got the better of her.

She was good friends with one of the morgue technicians, and had her mind set on finding out what had gone down.

Not knowing if Susan was at work at the moment, Melissa decided to play it by ear. After she'd parked outside, she headed straight to the basement of the hospital where the morgue was located.

It was suspiciously quiet down there. Melissa would have expected to meet law enforcement officials and other personnel in the hall, but the basement seemed abandoned. She headed for the office and found a lone secretary behind a desk.

"Uh, I... Is Susan Hanson here?" Melissa didn't know the girl and held up her badge to show that she actually worked at the hospital. The girls threw a quick glance at it and pointed to the a door behind her. "She just got off shift. You'll catch her if you hurry."

Melissa continued through the office, and found Susan as she was about to leave the building. "Hey, Sue!" she yelled as she ran to catch up with her. After a rather awkward silence, Melissa decided to just get to the point. "Sorry to bother you, but I heard the news about the girl they found. I think it's one of my son's friend. What do you know?"

Susan rubbed her eyes and yawned. "Sorry, I'm tired. This was a long night." She shrugged a little before she continued. "I don't know much. We had to send the body to the medical examiner's office."

Melissa sighed in disappointment. "So, she wasn't even here? Or..." She paused when Susan nodded. "She was here. And you're right. She was one of Scott's classmates. The identification isn't formal yet, but I know her."

Susan had previously worked in the neurology department, and knew Erica from that time. She'd been treated for her epilepsy. Melissa also learned that the girl had been shot dead execution-style more than two weeks ago. "The body was moved from another location and placed in the woods for someone to find." Susan looked sad. "The worst part is that nobody reported her missing. Everybody thought she'd taken off with her boyfriend."

The body had been in the hospital morgue for less than four hours, but the pathologist had discovered a few things that were very disturbing. "Matt was present when the medical examiner came. He prepared the body for transportation."

When they reached Susan's car, Melissa gave her friend a hug before they parted ways. "Thank you, Sue. I'm sorry."

There had been scars on the body that were partially healed, and the pathologist suspected that Erica had been held captive for an extended period of time before she got killed. Melissa wasn't so sure. If the girl was a werewolf she could heal instantly. The injuries could have been sustained only minutes before she was shot.

With the recent events in mind, Melissa suspected that the rogue Alpha pack was to blame. There was only one puzzling part to this: Why did they shoot her? They could easily have killed her with their bare hands, or claws.


	23. Chapter 23

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mr Stilinski and Derek have a confrontation. Stiles is scared by this turn of events, but then Isaac step up and surprises everybody. Scott and Allison do their own little investigation at the school. Melissa make a decision she believes will be for the best.

Stiles didn't even know what happened. At first he thought that Derek just suddenly felt the urge to use the bathroom, but then remembered that the werewolves had extreme control over their bodies, so that wasn't very likely.

Seconds later, he heard banging on the front door. All things considered, the front door was pretty far away, and a few floors down, so Stiles figured that whoever knocked was really eager to get in, since he could hear it from the bedroom.

For a moment he froze up. If this was the attack, he was so ill-prepared. He rolled himself out of bed. For some weird reason, he felt the need to cover up. If it was the Alphas it wouldn't matter; they would kill him swiftly regardless off his attire. Stiles grabbed Derek's robe and managed to get it on before he limped towards the door. He was not prepared to meet his destiny in pajama-pants.

As soon as he'd opened the door, Stiles realized that it was a set of totally different kind of worries that had to be taken into consideration. He could hear his dad's voice, and it was not soft and calming.

Looking at the clock, he could see that it was way too early for the morning coffee Derek had offered. Stiles wondered why the sheriff would pay them a visit at this hour, and he tried to listen in to the conversation.

The whispers from the living-room was not easy to grasp, but then his dad raised his voice. "Why is my name on the list?"

The urge to take part in the conversation was overwhelming, but Stiles managed to withdraw and close the door silently. He lied back down on the bed, and looked at the bottle of painkillers. Maybe he should just take a couple and pass out again? Stiles had no idea what went on and it bugged him big-time, so he decided to wait a while and see what happened.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

The whole school was buzzing with rumors. Scott and Allison didn't know what was true and what was made up. The girl – possibly Erica – had been found in the woods. The body had been somewhat decomposed and hard to identify, but all things considered, they were pretty sure.

The moment they set foot outside and some of the students got picked up by their parents, Scott overheard a few sentences here and there. 'The body was shipped to the medical examiner.' 'It was obviously a murder.' 'She'd been raped and mutilated.' 'Her eyeballs were missing.' 'Angelica's dog had taken a bite of the corpse.'

Scott gave Allison a brief description of what he heard before he tugged her towards the car. "My mom will know more. I'm pretty sure." Allison shook herself loose from the grip. "Wait a sec, I'll try to find out." She pointed to a group of girls on the stairs. "That's Angelica's friends, I'll give it a shot."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Derek looked at Mr Stilinski. The guy seemed to be lost in his thoughts. "Hey, I, I... you're son is very important to me. He's my best friend. I can protect him." He wanted to tell the sheriff the truth, but wasn't sure how to word it. "I know what's going on here, and I'm willing to tell you." He drew his breath heavily. "It's just... difficult."

Mr. Stilinski looked at him with a tired expression on his face. "This is so sad. This girl was... too young to die. We've had some tragedies in this town before, but this girl... she was Stiles' age."

He downed the rest of the coffee and turned to Derek. "Tell me! If you have any idea what went down, you better tell me." With a huff he added. "And your coffee sucks. I'm going to have reflux for days."

Derek eased himself down on the armrest of the couch. He took a deep breath and swallowed. "It's werewolves. Werewolves killed her. I know this for sure." Mr Stilinski looked at him curiously for a split second before he rolled his eyes and got up from his seat. "Yeah, right!" He scooted backwards a little. "I will pick up my son now and leave the building. If you try to stop me, I have to warn you that I'm armed."

Slightly puzzled Derek threw his hands out. "No, don't. It's the worse thing you can do if you want to save your son." Suddenly he realized that Mr Stilinski thought he was crazy and wanted to get Stiles out of there as soon as possible. After that, he'd probably come back with a posse and take Derek to the looney-bin.

"NO, NO! Mr Stilinski, I'm not a maniac, I can prove it. Werewolves exist." Derek tried to grab the sheriffs arm, but the guy was fast and managed to pull out his weapon. Standing by the wall, he aimed his gun at Derek. "Step back. I will call for back-up. And I want Stiles here now."

Derek didn't know how to handle the situation. In the corner of his eye he could see Isaac peeking out from his room. The boy was obviously shocked by the turn of events. A small noise from across the room made Derek flip his head around. Stiles was standing there in the middle of the floor. "Do it. DO IT! SHOW HIM! Show him that you're not crazy! Show him the wolf!"

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

When the shouting from the living-room was impossible to ignore anymore, Stiles got up again and headed for the door. He opened it slightly and heard Derek's voice. "I can prove it. Werewolves exist." He heard the commotion that followed, and he also heard his dad's reply. Suddenly, the pain in his chest became almost excruciating. It wasn't only because of the fractured ribs, but he could feel the pain in his heart. This revelation could possibly change his life, and not in a good way.

Stiles could see his dad standing by the door with a gun aimed at Derek. When Derek turned and looked at him, Stiles tried to urge him to show the sheriff that he was speaking the truth. So maybe daddy-o wouldn't be too happy, but at least he wouldn't think Derek was a nutcase.

Before any of them managed to react, Isaac emerged. He cleared his throat to get everybody's attention. Then he scrunched his face as in pain and started to turn. His face changed rapidly and with a sneer, he showed off his fangs. With a flick of the wrist, he got the sheriff to look at his hand as hair started to grow and the claws slowly came out.

Both Derek and Stiles stared at him and before any of them could react, the sound of a gunshot filled the apartment. Isaac had to take a step back when he got hit in the shoulder. Before the sheriff managed to aim at Isaac again, Stiles threw himself in front of the guy. "STOP, DON'T SHOOT!" He wondered if his dad was alert enough to not shoot his own son in the back, but Stiles had to take that chance.

"Dad, stop. For God's sake stop. He's my friend. He is a werewolf, but he's my friend." Stiles held onto Isaac's forearms, and watched as the wound stopped bleeding and started to close up. A thump behind him made him throw a peek over his shoulder. Mr Stilinski was leaning heavily on the wall. The gun was on the floor next to him. He looked like he'd seen a ghost.

"Did he... Did Isaac kill her?" The sheriff hitched the words out as he struggled to stay on his feet. Stiles gave Isaac quick smile before he let go of him. The guy was almost back to normal again, and he rubbed his shoulder. "You're welcome." He whispered as he took a step away.

"No, dad. He didn't." Stiles limped across the room. He stopped in front of his dad and drew his breath quickly. It hurt. "The other wolves did. The rogue ones. The ones who attacked me."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Scott shook his head vigorously. "No way that all this is true. I don't know what Angelica told her BFF," he rolled his eyes. " but a partially decomposed corpse, come on. How much more do you need to flip out a little?"

He was – by no means of his own – the center of attention for a group of students; mostly freshman girls. "Seriously, being friends with the sheriff's son doesn't make me an oracle." He wished he could just leave, but he had to wait for Allison.

One of the girls moved closer and gave him a seductive smile. "Oh, I'm sure you..." Her words were cut short when Allison grabbed her collar. "Some girl got killed in the woods, and you are flirting with my boyfriend for information, how sick are you."

The girl took a couple of steps back. "Sorry! He was alone... a girl has to do what a girl has to do, but... whatever."

When the crowd had dissipated, Allison sighed heavily and rolled her eyes. "Seriously. I can't turn my back at you? Flirting with minors. Is that your thing now?" Allison tried to look grumpy but Scott knew it was an act. He still hesitated a bit before he replied. "Technically, we're all minors so ..."

He didn't get very far. Allison punched him in the chest with her fist. "Don't even..." She didn't manage to cover up the shy smile she sported on her lips. "Bah... okay then. Let me tell you the news."

Scott chuckled a little as they again approached the car. He was very curious about what she'd learned.

"It's Erica! Definitely! Someone at the morgue identified her by her hair and clothes." She shrugged a little and nodded towards the small crowd in front of the school. "One of those guy's cousin works as a porter at the hospital." She sighed. "Her body was intact; as intact as a dead body would be after a week or two. No dog or any other animal had nibbled on her. Just insects." Allison wiped a tear out of her eye.

Scott grabbed Allison's hand and tugged her closer. "Relax, it wasn't like she was a friend. Not really."

Allison leaned her head on Scott's shoulder. "I know. It's just... It's so sad. I know we weren't... friends, but still, it's sad."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Mr Stilinski hadn't fully recovered after the surprising turn of events. Derek hurried to get more coffee, but the sheriff pushed it away. "No thanks." They'd managed to get him to sit down on the couch, but he kept staring at the door to Isaac's room. Isaac himself had withdrawn from the scene and locked himself in.

When Derek poured a generous amount of whiskey into a tumbler and sat it on the table, Mr Stilinski grabbed it eagerly and emptied it in one gulp. He held out the glass and gestured for Derek to fill it again. This time he went slower and only took small sips.

"I've been awake for too long, I'm seeing things." He leaned forward a little and rubbed his forehead with his free hand. "It was some kind of weird trick. I, how did he do that?" Stiles had been sitting next to him without moving much, but now he reached his hand out and stoke his dad's shoulder. "It's true, dad. Werewolves do exist. You saw what you saw. It was real."

Suddenly the sheriff sat up straight. "But, uh, I shot him. Did I shoot him? He, I, did I miss or is he hurt? Even if he... He's still a young boy, uh, man."

Derek and Stiles exchanged looks before Stiles sighed heavily. "You didn't miss. Unless you aimed for his head. The bullet went through his shoulder." He could see that his dad widened his eyes, but before he go a word out, Stiles continued. "They heal. The werewolves can heal themselves. Isaac is already as good as new."

It took a good hour for the sheriff to calm down, during which, he'd questioned his own sanity several times. In between the flashes of doubt, he'd pretty much subjected Stiles and Derek to a third-degree. They told him about the fight with the Alphas. Derek explained how Stiles got his injuries and how he, at the same time, saved Derek's life.

They didn't reveal that the whole fight ended with four dead werewolves or that Chris Argent had taken part in the cover-up. They also managed to hide the fact that both Derek and Scott were werewolves.

When Mr Stilinski asked to talk to Isaac to make sure he was okay, Stiles offered to get him. He didn't have to. Isaac came out voluntarily and took a few steps towards the sheriff. "We hear well too. I'm fine Mr Stilinski. I've healed, just like Stiles said. It's really okay, but I prefer not being shot at."

-o-o-o-o-o-

After another hour, Derek offered to take Mr Stilinski home. "You should not drive. Go home, get some sleep, and come back. We can discuss how to proceed later." The sheriff stumbled to his feet. Three generous glasses of whiskey made him a little unsteady. "I, I guess you're... but Stiles? Son! How are you doing. I'm sorry." He turned and walked towards the door without waiting for an answer. "You're right. I need some sleep"

Derek hurried to catch up with him, and gave Stiles a quick wave before the two of them left. Isaac was in his room but as soon as the door slammed shut, he came out and padded over to the kitchen. "It was okay, right? What I did?" He had his back turned towards Stiles while he rummaged through the fridge. "I mean... you wanted him to know about us? About the werewolves?"

Stiles was still somewhat taken aback by Isaac's performance a couple of hours ago. "I do, I did. I mean, yeah." He stared at Isaac's back. "I just don't understand why you did it. I was talking to Derek and expected him to 'wolf out'."

Isaac had found a slice of pizza, and ate it cold as he approached the couch. "Oh, I just... I was afraid that your dad wouldn't let you live here if he knew that Derek is a werewolf. Derek promised to protect you. I don't know." Stiles could see that Isaac blushed a little. "It's nice having you here. Derek is calmer, he's nicer, and this place," He looked around, "it's cozier now. It feel's like home. A safe home. Like the one I never had."

It was pretty clear that Isaac was embarrassed after the short speech, and Stiles didn't want to add to it so he managed to keep his mouth shut. He waited until Isaac was done with the pizza and went to get a drink. "You want anything? Tea, coffee, coke?" He picked a juice box out. "Apple juice?" Isaac threw a peek over his shoulder and Stiles nodded. "Sure, Juice."

After a few minutes of silence as Isaac poured the juice and came back to the couch, Stiles cleared his throat. "You said you'd be moving out. Why? And to where?" He grabbed the cup Isaac handed him and took a sip. "This is your home, sort of. You shouldn't have to move."

Again, Isaac got a shade of pink covering his face. "Uh, I, it's just... I can hear you." He turned away, but Stiles could see that he was embarrassed. Stiles knew for sure that nothing had happened in Derek's bedroom lately that would be loud enough for anyone to hear. "Hear what, exactly? We're not doing anything."

Isaac huffed audibly and gave Stiles a lopsided smile. "You think? It's embarrassing to listen to your conversations, even. Don't get me wrong. I like having you here, but come on..." He started to pace. "I'm in your way. I like the new Derek, but I can't just tune out my super-hearing. What you two say to each other should be private. With me here it's not."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Melissa had expected to get a call from Mr Stilinski. She'd totally forgotten about the whole Stiles-deception after what happened during the night, but was surprised that the sheriff never contacted her. She was happy about it, though. Lying to a member of law-enforcement wasn't desired. It was still a little disappointing. She had rehearsed her role so well.

She'd never got a chance to talk to her son about it either. Scott was already in bed when she came from work last night, and he'd left for school before she got up this morning. Now, that whole scenario had taken another turn. After the new revelations, she was pretty sure that Stiles was better off in Derek's care.

The main reason being that the sheriff would be too tangled up in this murder investigation to have time to tend to his son. Another issue, was the fact that werewolves were involved and Stiles' dad had no knowledge of how to handle these creatures. He didn't even know that they existed.

Melissa took a deep breath. She should probably just tell him the truth. She would have to convince her son to show Mr Stilinski that werewolves were real. The more she thought about it, the more she convinced herself. She decided to pick up Scott after her shift, and take him to see Mr Stilinski.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

When Scott and Allison arrived at Derek's place, they sat in the car for a couple of minutes before they got out. "Scott. I know you do not approve of the relationship between Stiles and Derek, although you know it's real." Allison grabbed Scott's hand and squeezed it gently. "I'm puzzled by it too, but they... It is real."

Scott shook his head and huffed. "I know. I know it is. It's just... I've know him all my life and... Never, ever could I have anticipated this." He gave Allison hand a stroke. "I still agree with your judgment. He is better off here. Derek will protect him with his life."

They got interrupted by Scott's phone buzzing. It was his mom. Wondering why she called in the middle of her shift, Scott picked up fast. What she told him made him shiver. He couldn't possibly reveal himself to Stiles' dad. It would be the end of the friendship. Mr. Stilinski would never let him get near his son if he knew.

"Mom, I don't think it's necessarily. We just... Okay I see your point, but still." He sighed heavily. "I'm at Derek's place with Allison, let's talk to Stiles and I'll call you back."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Derek could hear them as they ascended the stairs. He was slightly annoyed about the fact that Isaac hadn't locked front door, but at the moment it didn't matter. He'd sent the guy out to get groceries while Stiles was sleeping.

He got up and opened the door for Scott and Allison. "Hi. I guess you've heard? About Erica." He went back to the couch and slumped down. As he did so, he discovered that the evidence bag the sheriff had brought was lying under the table. Derek picked it up and looked at it. It couldn't be good. He wondered if the sheriff would get in trouble for being so careless.

"What's that?" Scott was standing next to him pointing at the bag. Derek tucked it in his pocket. "Oh, nothing, just a... Eh, nothing." Scott didn't look convinced but he did drop the subject. "Anyway, this is so sad. She was... in your pack. How..." The boy threw his hands out. "I mean, how do you feel about this?"

Derek stared into the air for a moment. "She's been gone for a long time. I kind of expected this to happen. She and Boyd weren't ready to... be on their own. They thought of themselves as invincible, but..."

When Allison came over and sat down next to him, Derek looked at her curiously. "She was shot. Did you...? Or your dad, or another hunter...?" He let the question just hang there waiting for Allison's response. "NO! No we had nothing to do with this. No Argent killed her." She had a pained expression on her face. "Did you seriously believe that I had anything to do with this?"

There was a moment of awkward silence before Derek drew his breath and looked at the girl. "I didn't, but I had to ask. Why would they shoot her?" He covered his face with his hands and sighed heavily. "It makes no sense."

"They did it to throw them off; the police." Stiles was standing in the doorway to Derek's room. "She was killed long before our little fight. She'd been hidden somewhere." He moved towards them with a small limp. "I don't think they planned for her to be found. They hid the body and expected it not to be found. Not until there was only a skeleton left and the cause of death would be almost impossible to determine." Stiles stopped behind the couch and looked at his friends. "After the fight they used her to give you, us, a warning."

Derek nodded to himself. It made sense. "Of course. They became a little desperate after losing most of their pack-members." He gave Stiles a smile. "Why didn't I, we, think about that?" Stiles reached his hand out and ruffled Derek's hair. "Because you guys are not as clever as me." With a smirk he straightened himself up. "Stiles is back in business. Solving puzzles, being a smart-ass."


	24. Chapter 24

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sheriff Stilinski is utterly confused and his confusion reaches a new high later that afternoon. Isaac makes a little speech that shuts everybody up for a moment. Scott screws up majorly, but manage to redeem himself somewhat. It all results in another trip to the hospital.

Mr Stilinski was slightly confused when he woke up on the couch in full uniform. A minor hangover was lurking, but it wasn't too bad. It took a couple of seconds before the events from the early morning hours caught up with him.

He sat up abruptly – which was not the best idea in the world – and panned the room. He'd half expected to find Derek Hale somewhere in there. The last thing he remembered was that the guy had taken him home and urged him to get some sleep. After days and nights with less shut-eye than a normal person needs, he'd just passed out almost instantly as he lied down on the couch.

A quick peek at the clock told him that he'd slept longer than he thought he had. It was afternoon already, and he had to be at work in a couple of hours. The flu was losing the battle at the station, so the deputies and office staff was almost back to full duty.

Stilinski had looked forward to it. He desperately needed time off. Not only because he was overworked, but he wanted to be there for his son. The body in the woods had squashed all those plans. Now he'd be lucky if he got eight hours rest between shifts.

The memories from this morning were somewhat hard to handle. For a moment, he wondered if it had just been a bad dream – a vivid whiskey induced dream – but he didn't manage to fool himself. What happened at the Hale-apartment was real. It might have been a trick, but he knew that he saw Isaac Lahey turn into something non-human.

After a quick shower and a change of clothes, Sheriff Stilinski decided to go back there and find out what really happened. He could call the station and tell them that he was delayed because he had to interview a couple of witnesses. It wouldn't be too far from the truth.

On the front porch he realized that his car was still outside Derek's place, and he had to go back in to get Stiles' car-keys.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Stiles felt slightly embarrassed for being so happy at the moment. Erica was dead and it was sad, but she'd never really been a friend and – in retrospect – she'd always behaved like she had dibs on Derek. Stiles hadn't taken his jealousy towards her seriously before, but now he had to admit that he must have had a crush on Derek long before he knew about it himself.

Thinking back, he realized that Derek must have known. They guy had been perched on a rooftop for several nights before they eventually hooked up. Maybe it was Erica that had triggered all of this. Maybe she – with her seductive behavior around Derek – made Stiles emit something he wasn't aware of himself?

That was now ancient history, and Stiles did not feel the need to dwell on the past. Sitting there in Derek's apartment with his friends, knowing that he was a treasured house-guest, was more than enough to keep a smile on his face. He tried to hide it though. Erica had, after all, been part of Derek's pack.

The five of them – Allison, Scott, Isaac, Derek and himself – had just eaten, and Scott volunteered to clean up. It wasn't a big job but as soon as he got up from the couch were he'd been sitting between Stiles and Allison, Derek hurried to steal his seat.

Trying to be casual about it, Derek put his left arm on the back of the couch behind Stiles' head. Stiles peeked at him before he leaned over slightly until their sides touched. Ever so slowly Derek moved his hand and rested it on Stiles' shoulder.

Stiles had to close his eyes for a moment. This felt so good. A split second later, Scott threatened to destroy the mood. "That was my seat," he said with a frown, before he with a broody expression on his face perched himself on the armrest on the other side of Stiles.

There was a quick staring-contest between him and Derek. Stiles wasn't sure what to do. He didn't want Derek to move, but he wasn't too keen on making Scott angry either. With a scoff, Derek moved slightly to the side. He pulled Stiles with him. "There's room for you too."

Scott looked at the small space between Stiles and the armrest before he forced his butt down on the couch. "Okay, I guess you're right." It was clearly uncomfortable. Stiles threw a quick peek at both of them. "Seriously guys!" He shifted a little to try to make the seating-arrangement less tight.

When Allison was about to get up from her place on Derek's right side, Derek pushed her back down. "It's fine, we'll make room." With ease he maneuvered Stiles off the couch and placed him on his lap. "Is this better, Scott? Enough room for you now?"

Stiles couldn't help giggling. He wrapped his arm around Derek's neck before he leaned in and planted a kiss on his cheek. "You're not so bad in solving problems, but I'm not sure Scott is particularly happy." He turned to Scott and gave him a wink. If a stare could kill, Stiles would be in so much trouble. Scott just scoffed and looked away. "I get it. It's just... Fuck it, I'm trying, but this is... fucked up."

There was no way Stiles could keep his mouth shut. "Sure it is... I mean... Sure I am. Sorry, didn't mean to broadcast..." He dug his face into the crock of Derek's neck. "I can't help myself. Shut me up please."

When Derek lifted Stiles' head of his shoulder and kissed him, Scott jumped off the couch. "Okay, I give in. I don't need to sit here." He took a few steps back and was obviously about to spew out some venom, when Isaac cleared his throat to get their attention.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Isaac had been sitting in the recliner watching the little drama in front of him. It was sickening. When he cleared his throat, the other four turned to him abruptly. It was like they just got aware of his presence.

"You guys. Erica died. Probably Boyd too," he huffed, "and you are bickering about this." He gave Allison a quick peek. "Well, not you exactly, but still." When Derek was about to say something Isaac stopped him. "Derek, come on, you behave like a brat. 'Stiles is my toy, Scott can not play with my toy.'" The pitch of his voice resembled a child's. "And you Scott... They're a couple, deal with it. We all have had to watch you and Allison, sorry Al, practically getting it on in front of us. Derek and Stiles have been very subtle up until now." He had to take a breath before he continued. "If you can't handle it, you should just leave. Personally, I think Stiles the best thing that has happened to Derek, ever."

He took a step back and slumped down on the chair again. "Can we push this aside and concentrate on serious business." His friends looked so stupefied that Isaac almost started laughing. He didn't though. He was too angry and too sad to actually find any humor in it.

-o-o-o-o-o-

The knock on the door came just in time. Derek hurried out of the couch and ran downstairs to whoever was there. Isaac had been so accurate in his description of the situation that Derek felt embarrassed.

He had a general idea of who was knocking, and as he reached the front door he could smell Stiles' dad.

"Coming." Derek tried to sound cheerful. He wanted Mr Stilinski to perceive him as nice and hospitable. "Come in. We're all here. I guess you want to..." He wasn't sure what to say. Maybe the sheriff was there to pick up his son. "Stiles is fine, and, and, Isaac is fine..."

The sheriff pushed past him and started to walk up the stairs. "I will never forgive myself for leaving my son here. What's the deal? I need to know what happened, really."

Derek hurried to catch up with him. "Stiles is safe here. Don't you worry." He tried to reach in front of the sheriff to open the door to the apartment. "Open mind, that's all we require." With his hand on the doorknob, the sheriff turned to him. "We?"

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

When the door opened, Stiles got shivers down his spine. Something was off. He didn't expect his dad to come stumbling, angry and somewhat confused through the door. Derek came in right behind him, and with a pained expression on his face he stared at Stiles before he spoke. "If you don't believe... you will after tonight."

Isaac jumped out of his seat and tried to retract to his room. Derek hurried to cover the escape route. "NO! We will show him. He's unarmed." As Derek said the words, Mr Stilinski reached for his gun. When he discovered that it wasn't there, he looked up in panic. "My gun, you took my gun."

Stiles knew he had to take charge. He wasn't sure what to say but he had to come up with some explanation. "Dad. DAD!" He managed to get his dad's attention. "Derek just wanted to make sure you wouldn't shoot anybody... chances are you'd want to." He wasn't sure if Derek had actually taken the gun, but a quick glace towards his boyfriends hand confirmed it.

He squeezed his eyes shut for a second. "Let's get this over with." He turned to Allison and grabbed her hand. "Al, it's you and me, we have to stick together." He wanted to laugh. Allison and him being team-mates was so far fetched. It still made sense. They had to stick together to convince daddy Stilinski that it was okay to befriend werewolves.

After several seconds of complete silence – everybody just waiting for somebody else to speak – Scott took a step forward. "Uh, I understand that this is difficult for you. I have a hard time dealing myself." He peeked over his shoulder. Stiles tried to give him an encouraging look. Scott continued. "Since nobody else is volunteering, I'm just gonna say it... Derek and Stiles are in love with each other, and ..."

...then the whole world came crashing down. Stiles looked at his dad as the guy's eyes widened. Derek grabbed Scott's arm and pulled him towards the couch. "NO, NO, Scott..." Isaac, who was ready to escape anyway, slumped his head down and moved towards his room again. Allison was the only one who stood firm. "I thought they wanted to tell you about the werewolves." She turned to her boyfriend. "What happened. Scott! Are you out of your mind?"

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

The sheriff looked like he was paralyzed. Scott knew instantly that this was not what the sheriff came here for. "Uh, I, fuck..." He knew he'd screwed up, but there was nothing he could do to fix it. "Mr Stilinski, I... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to..."

Stiles moved forward – limping towards his dad. "Scott is such a joker. I, we... It's nothing. He knows nothing." He grabbed a hold of the sheriff's sleeve and tugged on it. "Dad, please." Finally the sheriff reacted. He looked at his son before he threw a quick glance at Derek. "Is THIS what this is all about?" He shook his head. "You just wanted me to give my blessing so you could live here with this guy."

Scott slumped down on the couch. It looked like Derek was holding his breath while he was listening to the sheriff. Isaac had managed to vanish, and Allison was standing in the middle of the floor rubbing her forehead vigorously. Stiles was about to say something – probably something stupid – but there was nothing he could do that would make those words unsaid.

Before anyone else managed to react, Allison stepped forward. "No, Mr Stilinski. That's not it. Stiles is in danger. He injured a werewolf and the guy is doomed to seek revenge." She didn't mention that this particular wolf was dead, but it didn't matter at the moment. "He needs protection around the clock. Derek and Isaac are the only ones that can provide that."

Both Stiles and his dad looked at Allison. Scott noticed that she seemed to shrink a little, but then she straightened herself up again. "So, maybe Derek and Stiles have a little crush on each other..." when nobody commented she continued. "Saving each others lives can do that to people."

Scott watched as the sheriff ripped himself loose from Stiles' grip and walk towards Derek. He completely ignored Allison and just pushed past her. "Stay away from my son. I dare you to even touch him." He gave Derek a push causing the wolf to take a step back. "I don't want to hear another word about this werewolf bullshit."

Watching Stiles pained face as his dad spoke, made Scott realize that he had to try to fix the damage he'd caused. He sighed heavily before he approached the sheriff. "Mr Stilinski," He said with a firm voice, "look at me." He took a deep breath and forced himself to turn. When he growled loudly and bared his teeth, Mr Stilinski almost fell backwards, but Derek managed to grab him and hold him up.

"Scott! Stop!" Stiles was leaning on the wall, clenching his chest. "I can't breathe. Help me." Scott looked at his friend as the guy struggled to keep himself upright. He was almost hyperventilating. With werewolf speed, Scott rushed to catch Stiles before he fell to the floor.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Stiles opened his eyes and stared into the ceiling. After a thorough examination, the doctor was pretty sure he was okay. Everything was healing at a satisfactory rate, and even if he was still somewhat in pain, it seemed to be expected, all things considered.

After he collapsed in Scott's arms, his friend had picked him up and carried him downstairs. His dad and Derek followed and were actually bickering about who would take him to the hospital. Stiles had almost passed out when Scott just shoved him into the nearest car – which was the jeep – and gestured for Mr Stilinski to get in the driver's seat.

Stiles could hear Derek protesting this, but Scott just pulled him away as he turned to the sheriff. "We're following in Derek's car." In a blur, Stiles watched them run towards the Camaro before his dad pulled away from the curb and took off.

The trip to the hospital went quickly, and Stiles didn't remember much of it. The rest of the journey through the hospital was also somewhat hazy. He'd been rushed through the halls in a wheelchair, while his dad was left behind in the waiting area.

At the moment, he was more alert and felt slightly embarrassed for the commotion he'd caused. The only reason he was still there was because they wanted to x-ray him to make sure that everything was fine.

The pain in his chest had subsided to the dull ache he'd gotten used to over the past few days. His breathing was almost back to normal also. Up in Derek's apartment he'd been sure that his lung had collapsed again, but the doctor was pretty sure that that hadn't happened.

He wanted his dad to be there; he wanted to explain everything to him. When a nurse came to check on him he asked her to get him, but she just shook her head. "No time, I'm taking you to MRI in a bit." She pulled the wheelchair closer to the bed. "Can you manage to get in it on your own?" Stiles nodded and eased himself out of the bed. The nurse waited patiently until he was seated before she gave him a lopsided smile. "It'll be okay, you know. You'll be out of here in no time."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

The sheriff was pacing. As soon as Stiles was out of sight, Derek and Scott had come stumbling through the door of the emergency room. They both looked scared as they moved towards him. Mr Stilinski lifted his hand and turned away. "I can't deal... Don't talk to me. I... there's nothing," he huffed audibly, "my son is injured because of you, I can't even begin to..."

Everything that had happened in the last twenty-four hours was taking a toll on him. He threw a quick peek at Scott. The boy had been in and out of their house since he was a toddler. Mr Stilinski couldn't understand how he could not have known. The fact that werewolves existed in the first place was hard enough to wrap his mind around, but that Scott was one was just mind-blowing.

A part of him wanted to sit Scott down and pick his mind. He wanted explanations. He wanted to learn as much as possible, but he was still too freaked out to form a coherent sentence.

His son almost got killed because of his fraternization with these people – animals – Mr Stilinski didn't even know what to call it. He just knew that it had to end. Stiles was obviously in danger because of all this, and protecting him would be hard. He didn't even know what kind of powers the werewolves had. The lore, the myths could be over-exaggerating. Maybe they were just normal guys who happened to have a secret.

Somehow he doubted that. The injuries Stiles had sustained were serious. Another issue was that he'd noticed how easily Scott had picked up Stiles and carried him to the car. He was obviously stronger than a normal teen. The guy didn't even break a sweat down the stairs.

Derek and Scott were now seated on the small couch in the waiting area. The sheriff stopped pacing for a moment and looked at them. It wouldn't surprise him if the Hale boy was a werewolf too, but then again, anybody around him could be one. If Scott had managed to cover this up – maybe for years – anybody else could have too.

He watched as Derek pressed his knuckles into his eyes, as if he wanted to prevent himself from crying. Scott huffed and frowned a little, but then he gave the guy and encouraging pat on the back. The scene made him remember what had triggered the whole drama. According to Scott, Derek and Stiles were in love. The way Derek behaved at the moment could surely be a confirmation of the fact. At least the guy cared a lot about Stiles.

Mr Stilinski closed his eyes and tried to calm down. He made a quick decision. As soon as he could see Stiles, he'd demand and explanation. He'd try to keep an open mind, but he was adamant about getting the truth. He wanted the whole truth and nothing but the truth.


	25. Chapter 25

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Allison and Isaac are waiting for news. Melissa takes charge amd forces Scott to explain everything to the sheriff. Maybe not everything. Derek is torn between tending to Stiles and going into the woods. He knows what's in there, but decides to stay away.

"I came in like a wrecking ball..." Isaac was singing to himself as he tidied the kitchen. When he realized that he was singing out loud, he threw a peek over his shoulder. Allison was sitting on the couch and rolled her eyes at him. "Miley!" She scoffed. "That was unexpected."

Isaac shrugged before he grabbed a rag to wipe the counter. "Who cares?! If I embarrass myself here, I will still not reach Scott's level. He screwed up big-time!" He threw the rag in the sink and turned to Allison before he – with a shrieking voice – changed the lyrics. "Scott came in like a wrecking ball... He never hit so hard before..." He could see that Allison found it amusing, although she did her best to hide it.

The two of them had no idea what happened when Stiles almost collapsed. Isaac had been in his room when he heard the commotion from the living room, and when he realized that they'd left, he snuck into the living area again. Surprised to see Allison, he questioned his own senses for a second. He hadn't been able to smell her, but then again, she was so covered in Scott's scents that her own was practically impossible to detect.

She'd been standing in the middle of the room with her eyes focused on the door when Isaac came out of his room. She turned abruptly when Isaac came up behind her. "I, I'm... you startled me." She rushed towards the door and was about to run down the stairs when Isaac shouted: "They've gone. I could hear them. Allison! They took off already."

Seconds later, she came back. "What happened?" She walked over to the couch. "They just left." Isaac wasn't even in the room when they all ran out, but still, he had a general idea. "They are going to the hospital. I'm sure they'll be back soon."

Allison stared at him for a moment. "Stiles just... he just..." She stopped and slumped down on the couch. "How can you be so calm about it? It might be serious. He couldn't breathe." Isaac shrugged and cocked his head. "There's nothing I can do. Panicking is futile. We just have to wait and see."

He sat down in his previous spot on the recliner and sighed heavily. "We'll just have to wait and see." He repeated. "I'm sure Stiles will be fine. All the secrets are out, and now we'll just have to deal with it."

With a scoff, Allison looked up. "Not all the secrets. We killed a few guys." A humorless chuckle followed. "And Derek never revealed himself." She gave Isaac a tentative smile. "I just hope you're right. I hope Stiles is fine. That's the most important thing right now."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

The moment Melissa discovered that Stiles was in the hospital, she rushed to find him. It didn't take long before she found out that he was getting a MRI, and she was at the door when he came out.

"What happened? I thought you were doing good?" She practically pushed away the nurse's assistant that was supposed to bring him back to his dad. "I'll do it. I know him." As soon as the girl had left she repeated the question, but Stiles just slumped his head down without answering.

She sighed and left Stiles for a moment to talk to the MRI technician. From her, she learned that Stiles was free to go home and wait for the results. She told Melissa that according to the doctors, there was nothing wrong with him. Nothing new anyway. "We did it to make sure, but he can go home now. The radiologist will be here tomorrow. He'll call."

"What happened?" Melissa asked again, as she pushed the wheelchair through the hall. Stiles looked up at her and blushed a little. "They said it was probably an anxiety-attack. I couldn't breathe, and it was really painful. I thought I was in big trouble." Melissa patted his shoulder and gave the boy a smile. "I see. What brought it on?"

Stiles grabbed the wheels. He held on, forcing Melissa to stop. "Dad knows. What happened at Derek's was just..." He took a deep breath as Melissa stepped in front of him. "He knows about you and Derek?" She was somewhat surprised; she'd thought they wanted to keep it a secret for a long as possible.

Stiles covered his face with his hands. "That too, but I don't know if that freaked him out as much as Scott wolfing-out in front of him." He peeked up at her. "I felt that everything fell apart. He – dad – looked like he wanted to attack Derek, but then Scott..." He swallowed hard. "I think I just... I think it was just too much for me to handle. I need to explain everything, but I don't know if I can. Up there in Derek's apartment it was like... It was a mess. How can I..."

Melissa squatted in front of Stiles and grabbed his hands. "Stop, relax." She noticed that Stiles tried to avoid her stare. "Look at me!" She demanded. He lifted his head and took a deep breath before he met her eyes. With a soft smile on her lips, she lifted her hand and stroke his cheek. "I will help you. He needed to know. I will try to explain this to him."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"Mr Stilinski!" Surprised to hear his mom's voice, Scott turned abruptly towards her. He was about to get up, when she walked towards the sheriff lifting her hand in a gesture that was unmistakable. She didn't want him to interfere. "Mr Stilinski, can you come with me? We need to talk."

Scott stared at her, but decided to stay away. He had an idea about what she wanted with Stiles' dad, but was disappointed that she didn't tell them all what was wrong with Stiles. He tried to think of her as a professional instead of his mom, and realized she was right. Derek was staring at her too, but didn't move. The sheriff threw a quick glance at them before he followed her.

Derek and Scott looked at each other. Scott didn't know if they were supposed to wait, or if this was it. Everything that happened in the loft could change a lot of things in their lives. Mr Stilinski could easily decide that Scott was not welcome at their house anymore. The little slip about the relationship between Stiles and Derek, could result in Stiles being locked up in his room.

"This is so fucked up. I screwed up. How can I possibly fix this?" He looked at Derek. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to... Now it can take a while before you can see him again – before we can see him again."

With a huff, Derek got up from his seat and started pacing. "Don't worry about it. We'll find a way." He turned to Scott. "Isaac already showed him. Isaac turned in front of the sheriff this morning." Scott furrowed his brows. "So he already knew about the werewolves? Why didn't you tell me?"

Derek took a breath before he slumped back down on the couch. "I don't think he believed his own eyes. He, he shot Isaac, and then I got him drunk." Flabbergasted by the news, Scott couldn't do anything but stare at Derek. It took several seconds before he was able to form a sentence.

"What? We hung out together for hours and you didn't tell us. Stiles didn't tell us. What?" Surprise and disappointment fought for control over Scott. "I think I'm pretty pissed off right now." He was about to get up when his mom came towards them. She was alone.

"I'll get Stiles." She gestured for them to wait before she hurried away. Only seconds later, she was back with Stiles in a wheelchair. "Derek, take him home." Derek jumped out of his seat and rushed over to Stiles. "Are you okay?" He lifted his head to look at Melissa. "To his home?" She shook her head. "No. He's safer with you. Take him to your place."

Stiles hadn't managed to get a word in, and Scott could see that the guy was annoyed by it. "I'm fine, Derek." He huffed. "I can talk, I could have told him." He turned to Scott. "And I forgive you. We'll deal."

When Scott got up to join Derek and Stiles, his mom stopped him. "No, not you. You come with me." He stared at her before he turned to Stiles again. "Uh, thanks. I guess I have to stay." He was about to walk over to his mom, when Derek grabbed his sleeve. "If everything works out, you can come later. I'll explain why we didn't say anything."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

It was a warm summer evening. The wind was rustling the leaves. A few bats were searching for food, and people with good ears could probably hear their high-pitch sounds. A few other nocturnal creatures started to emerge from their hiding places to search for something eatable.

Even if the forest was crawling with life, it still would be perceived as quiet and tranquil. A half moon was hanging on the dark sky, shedding some light over the seemingly blissful scenery.

A fox was preparing to leap for a unsuspecting mouse, when a new sound made her flick her ears and sniff into the air. Shortly after, she abandoned her mission and took off.

They didn't make much noise. For two men, they were surprisingly light-footed, but they were carrying a load that made it impossible to sneak through the woods undetected. They pushed through some bushes that lined the most trafficked path, before they stopped and assessed the area.

After a short deliberation, they dumped their load. One of them picked a piece of paper out of his pocket and bent down. The facial features of the dead body lying on the forest floor was almost impossible to see. His dark complexion didn't reflect much of the moonlight. His clothes were frayed and torn, but by rearranging them somewhat it was still possible to pin the note to the front of his shirt.

A faint hum from an engine made both men look up and sniff into the air. After throwing a quick peek at the dead guy, they both took off in the same direction they came from.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Derek helped Stiles get comfortable, before he rounded the car and got into the driver's seat. With no idea what went on in the hospital at the moment, he decided to try to not think about it. Protecting Stiles was the most important thing on the to-do-list, and at least it seemed like Melissa was on the same page.

Stiles looked at him curiously when Derek decided to take a detour. "Where are we going, thought we were heading home?" He smiled shyly. "I mean to your home." A giggle followed. "Sorry." Derek turned into the dirt-road leading to the Hale-house. "I'm gonna get something from the house. It'll only take a minute." He patted Stiles' thigh. "After that you're going straight to bed."

He parked as close as he could to the house and jumped out of the car. Stiles didn't make any move to suggest that he wanted to join him. Derek thought about it for a second before he opened the door on the passenger side. "Come on. It's safer for you to stick with me."

Stiles struggled to get out of the car, and Derek reached his hand out to help him while he panned the area in front of the house. As Stiles put both feet on the ground, Derek took a deep breath through his nose. The scent he caught a whiff of, made him change his plans. "Get back in. We're leaving. They're here."

With a sigh, Stiles slumped back down on the seat. "Okay, just push me around. I can handle it." He didn't seem scared, just slightly annoyed. Derek slammed the door shut and ran to the other side of the Camaro. Now, when he was aware of it, it was impossible not to smell them. Another scent hit him too, and he knew he had to make a call.

Speeding through the bumpy road, he threw his phone to Stiles. "Call Scott; put him on speaker." Stiles fumbled a little with the phone before he found Scott's number. He dialed and it rang for a long time before Scott eventually picked up. "Hi, sorry, I can't..." Derek didn't let him finish. "Are you with the sheriff? They're back."

They heard Scott draw his breath. "Uh, yeah. They're back? The Alphas?" Derek swerved through a curve, and Stiles grabbed on to the door-handle. "Of course, but there's more." he managed to get control over the car again. "I have to stay with Stiles. Go with the sheriff. You'll find a dead body near my house. The Hale-house." He sighed. "I think it's Boyd."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

When his mom pulled Scott down the hall, she hurried to explain what she'd told the sheriff. "Stiles gave me a quick recap of what they wanted him to know so I explained as good as I could. Now he wants to see you." She stopped in front of a door to a small examination-room. "He doesn't know about the dead wolves, or about the Argent's involvement. I think we'll keep it at that."

She opened the door and pushed Scott in front of her into the room. Mr Stilinski looked at him with a pained expression on his face. "So it is true? You're a werewolf? This is..." He threw his hands out.

Melissa shrugged. "You can ask him about it; he's still Scott. He is still the boy you've known since he was little."

Scott did his best to answer the questions Mr Stilinski had lined up for him. He explained how he got bitten and how Stiles had helped him through the initial phases of the transformation. Scott told him about their powers and their ability to heal themselves.

After almost a half hour with something that resembled a third-degree, Stiles' dad leaned back in his seat. "How many are there? Who are they?" Scott looked at his mom and noticed that she gave him a almost invisible head-shake. "Well, we don't know how many in all, but around here there are only a few."

The sheriff scoffed. "But you know who they are, obviously." Scott's phone rang before he got a chance to comment. He wasn't sure if he was allowed to pick up, but whoever called didn't hang up, so eventually he just answered.

After the short conversation with Derek, Scott turned to Mr Stilinski. "We have to go. There's another body in the woods."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

When Derek and Stiles had explained the recent events, Isaac and Allison were politely asked to leave. Even if they both seemed eager to get out, they still offered to stay with Stiles if Derek wanted to join Scott and the sheriff, but Derek declined. "No, I'm staying. If you want to help, call Scott."

Stiles knew that Derek was torn between the two options, and with a shrug, he looked at the three of them. "Derek, if you want to go..." He didn't want Derek to leave, but under the circumstances, he could understand why Derek wanted to check it out. Boyd had, after all, been a part of his pack.

"I said no!" Derek grabbed Stiles' hand and pulled him into an embrace. "They can handle it. You need protection." He peeked over at Isaac and Allison. "It's not like I don't trust them, but your dad left you in my care. I can't go."

When Stiles was about to protest, "It was really Melissa..." Derek chuckled and gave him a lopsided smile. "I'm sure your dad is perfectly aware of what Melissa told me to do. I'm sure she made him understand that you're safest here, with me."

"But what about Isaac, he lives here?" Stiles felt sorry for the guy. "I, you know, it's not like I... okay, it's probably better if he leaves. Oh, I don't mean..." He could feel a blush coming on. "I'm gonna shut up now."

A couple of minutes later, they were alone in the apartment. Isaac had promised him that he'd find a place to crash, and that Stiles wouldn't have to worry about that. "We'll call when we have news." Allison came over and gave Stiles a quick hug before they left. "I'm happy you're okay. See you tomorrow, maybe?"

It was actually a little awkward to suddenly be alone with Derek again. They were still standing in the middle of the room in a tight embrace. It felt like ages ago since they'd been in this situation. That it was less than a week ago since the fight was almost surreal. "Derek?" Stiles said with a soft voice. "Yeah?" The reply came as huff, before Stiles continued. "My foot is almost healed, my shoulder, yeah, no pain, but my ribs are still bothering me, so if you wouldn't hold me so tight it would be good."

Derek let go instantly and stepped back. "Sorry, I'm sorry." He chuckled a little nervously. "I didn't make it worse, did I?" Stiles cocked his head. "Oh, please. I didn't want you to let go completely. I just... oh, what the hell, give me some painkillers and bring it on." He practically leaped into Derek's arms again. "I distinctly remember that you said I had to go straight to bed as soon as we got here."

It actually took Derek several seconds to catch on. The surprised look on his face was almost hilarious. Stiles reached up and pinched his cheek. "I'm under your protection now, but we don't know for how long." He cocked his head and winked. "Stiles needs some TLC, don't make me beg."

With a grunt, Derek lifted him up and brushed his lips against Stiles' forehead. "TLC? I'll have to look that up." Moving towards the stairs, he nibbled a little on Stiles' earlobe. "A quick shower before bed, okay?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry guys, this chapter doesn't bring much news, but I will post the next one shortly. A juicy Sterek moment is in the making. Hang in there.


	26. Chapter 26

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Derek and Stiles are enjoying each other's company, Scott and the sheriff goes to check what to find in the woods. Mr Stilinski does a surprising thing at the scene, and then spends the whole night in his office, concentrating on something totally different than the investigation of Boyd's murder. Isaac feels lonly, but Scott takes care of him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here you go. I hope this Sterek moment is juicy enough for you. I also added a ghost of a Scisaac-thing, but don't get your hopes up.

With nimble hands, Derek started to undress Stiles. He rolled him over to his stomach so it would be easier to remove the button-down. As soon as the piece of clothing was gone, Derek ran his hand down Stiles' bare arms. Stiles swallowed hard. The gentle touch was so arousing that he wanted to rip his own clothes off and get the party started. With a willpower he didn't knew he possessed, he managed to stay still.

Derek moved his hands towards Stiles' back and massaged his way down to the hem of the t-shirt. With a finger, he pushed the fabric up a bit until the skin of his lower back was exposed. Soft, moist lips caressed the gap between his pants and shirt, making Stiles squirm from the sensation.

A hand eased itself around his hips, and reached for the button of his pants. As soon as Derek had managed to unbutton it, he slid the zipper down. With his other hand, he pulled the pants down a bit to uncover Stiles' ass.

Stiles tensed up for a second when Derek let his teeth sink into the soft flesh of his buttocks. He didn't bite down too hard; it was more like a nibble, but the pain lingered for a little while.

With a hand on each side of Stiles' hips, Derek grabbed onto the hem of his jeans and pulled them down slowly. As if on cue, Stiles lifted his pelvis off the mattress to make it easier for Derek to get his pants off. When they were down to his knees, Derek moved away for a moment. Stiles relaxed into the mattress and hoped for a quick continuance.

Derek shoved Stiles' socks over his ankles and removed them swiftly before he pulled the pants all the way off Stiles. The boxers went the same way, leaving Stiles naked from the waist down.

Derek's lips moved up the left calf and continued up his thigh before Stiles felt a quick, but this time, more painful bite on his butt-cheek. He jerked and tensed up for a second. It wasn't because it didn't feel good, it just came as a surprise.

The spot was soon covered with kisses, before Derek pushed Stiles' legs apart and seated himself between them.

Stiles pushed his ass up suggestively, as he fought to keep his mouth shut. He had a feeling he'd ruin the mood if he tried to rush this. Two firm hands grabbed on to his butt-cheeks and spread them to expose the puckered hole.

When something touched the rim, Stiles didn't understand what happened. He could still feel Derek's hands on his buttocks. 'Was he gonna penetrate him without lube or prep?' It took a couple of seconds before he realized that it was Derek's tongue prodding at the entrance. The knowledge was so overwhelming, that Stiles had to fight not to cum at that very moment.

He tried his best to stay still as Derek's tongue lapped over that sensitive area. The disappointment he felt when Derek pulled way was almost crushing. It didn't last long though; soon a well lubed finger pushed into his asshole without warning. Derek twisted it around and brushed the prostate for a split second before he pulled it out again. "NO!" Stiles couldn't help it. He just wanted to be fucked now. He knew for sure that his injuries wouldn't bother him to much.

Derek leaned over until his mouth was inches away from Stiles' ear. "You want it? You want me inside you?"

"Yeah, yes," Stiles panted out with his hands clenched around the pillow. He was so ready. When Derek moved away, Stiles could hear himself whimper a little, but then he felt Derek's breath on his ear again. "Turn over." With a little help from two strong hands, he rolled over to his back.

"This will be easier on your ribs." With joint effort they managed to remove Stiles' t-shirt. Then, Derek touched the still visible bruise on Stiles chest before he ran his lips over it. "I'll be gentle with you this time. You're still in recovery."

Stiles was grateful. Even if he tried to will it away, he was still in pain. It wasn't excruciating, but lying on his stomach had made it more bothersome. Derek was hovering over him for a few seconds before he leaned in and kissed him. Gentle at first, but then more demanding and forceful. Stiles ran his finger through Derek's hair, as he did his best to reciprocate the kiss.

When Derek again seated himself between Stiles' legs and opened the lube-bottle, Stiles' dick twitched in anticipation. Derek kissed the tip of it as he pushed a finger inside of him.

It was impossible to say if this was better than before. It was definitely different. The gentle touches, the slow moves to open him up, wasn't quite what he'd been used to from Derek. Not that he hadn't been gentle before, but there had always been an undertone of brutality and domination.

Stiles knew for sure that he liked it a little rough; he liked the games they played where Derek seemingly was in full control, but where Stiles always knew that he himself had the upper hand. This time he felt pampered. It was almost like Derek put his own pleasure on hold just to serve Stiles.

As Derek's fingers played tease, his mouth was on Stiles skin moving around in the crotch area, ever so often catching the cock-head. Stiles couldn't hold back even if his life depended on it, and with a loud moan, he released his load. Derek got cum in his hair and a few drops landed on his cheek.

The orgasm seemed to last forever. Derek's fingertips were prodding his prostate, making Stiles feel that he'd never come down from this high. Of course he did, and as he lied there panting, heaving for air, Derek's lifted the almost limp cock to his mouth and licked the rest of the cum away.

A tingle down his spine told Stiles that he was far from done. With skilled lips and tongue, Derek managed to get his dick hard again in what seemed like seconds. The treatment he got made it feel like he could reach another orgasm momentarily, but then Derek pulled away to rearrange himself on the bed.

Through half-lidded eyes Stiles could see that Derek lubed up his own cock before he lifted Stiles' butt onto his lap. The pinch of pain as Derek pushed inside him was not even worth mentioning. It felt so good being filled up.

Derek went slow and it took what seemed like forever, before he was fully inside. Then again, Stiles had completely lost track of time, so he didn't really know. Through the whole time as Derek fucked him, keeping it at a low speed, Stiles felt he could cum anytime.

Eventually, Derek sped up somewhat. It was pretty clear that he was very close now. The grunts and the ragged breath was a clear giveaway. Stiles could see that Derek fought against it. He was now leaning on his arms with his hands on each side of Stiles' torso. They were shaking as if he had a hard time holding himself up.

When he bared his teeth, Stiles' realized that his boyfriend wasn't only fighting against the orgasm. He was also very close to turning into a wolf. Derek straightened himself up and grabbed on to Stiles' hips before he with a growl gave in to the orgasm. Derek's whole body was trembling and Stiles could feel the claws digging into his flesh. When the pain from the punctures hit his brain, Stiles cummed for the second time that evening.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"If this is true, I have to call it in." Sheriff Stilinski picked his phone out of his pocket. Scott looked at him. "I don't know, can't we just check first?" He was pretty sure that nobody was going to let a teenager in on the investigation if this went official. "I mean... I can help you find it. I can sniff it out." He drew his breath. "Look at me as a cadaver-dog." He had to chuckle a little to himself.

The sheriff was clearly not amused, but Scott had managed to get his attention. "You mean... okay. Let's go then. Let's see what we can find before I make the call."

They had to take the jeep since Mr Stilinski's car was still outside Derek's place. Several times during the drive towards the Hale-house it seemed like the sheriff was about to say something, but every time he just sighed instead. Scott knew that the guy had more questions about the whole werewolf-revelation, but was happy that he didn't have to deal with them right now.

As soon as they got there, Scott jumped out of the car and sniffed into the air. Even after so many years, the smell of burnt wood was still lingering around the house. He walked around for a bit and soon, he picked up the unmistakable scent of werewolves. It was faint, which told him that they weren't there anymore, but it was pretty clear that they'd been close by this evening.

When the pungent smell of a corpse hit his nostrils, Scott was surprised that the sheriff couldn't smell it too. He took a few steps towards an opening between the trees on the side of the house, and took a deep breath. "Come on." He urged the sheriff to follow him as hurried into the woods.

As the animal trail he was following merged with a broader path, the scent became almost overwhelming. Scott slowed down a bit to let the sheriff catch up. "We're close, probably down there." He threw a peek over his shoulder before he continued on.

"I can smell it too." Mr Stilinski whispered from behind him. And there it was, spread out in the middle of the path, a dead body. Scott recognized Boyd immediately, even if the corpse was seriously mutilated.

Scott lifted his head abruptly when another scent hit him. A small breeze brushed against his face, carrying a familiar smell. Seconds later, he could hear them. The sheriff was oblivious to the fact that someone was coming, and got visibly startled when Isaac and Allison emerged out of the darkness of the woods.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

They'd cooked together a story on how they found the body. Scott and Allison had been out on a moonlight walk through the woods when they stumbled upon it. Scott had naturally called his best friend's father, and as soon as Mr Stilinski came to the scene, he'd called it in. They've all agreed to keep Isaac out of it completely.

Isaac felt a little lost. He had nowhere to go at the moment. He didn't want to disturb Derek and Stiles, so he decided to just roam the streets until morning. Without a car, he had to get to town on his own feet, but one of the perks of being a werewolf was speed, so he knew he'd still get there shortly.

He sent Derek a quick text explaining briefly what had happened, and told him to call if he needed more facts.

When he found a diner that was open through the night, Isaac decided to hang there for a while. He dug through his pockets to find some money before he ordered a coke. He took it with him to a booth and slumped down. A few nights ago, he'd been happy and content. Now he was in mourning. Boyd, Erica, and he got together because of Derek. The three of them had never been friends before. Isaac couldn't even remember exchanging one word with any of them before they became pack-members.

It was still sad as hell. Erica – the epileptic – the laughingstock in her class, had found a new confidence. Sometimes she behaved like a cocky little bitch after the bite, but who could blame her. Boyd had always been a loner, partly because he was intimidating and unfriendly, but mostly because he was poor. Isaac knew that he and Boyd had some similar memories from childhood, but since they never really crossed paths, they had never shared them.

Not until Derek scrambled them together in his sorry excuse for a pack. Isaac secretly blamed Derek for their deaths. If he hadn't been rushing to build his pack, he could have done a better job of it. As an Alpha, he really sucked. As a friend, he'd turned out to be one of the best.

Isaac wished he didn't have these mixed feelings. He liked the new Derek, and he was pretty sure that Derek's change had everything to do with Stiles. That Peter decided to leave town could of course be part of it. That family-conflict could possibly never be fully mended.

Indulged in his own thoughts, he watched as the diner emptied. It was way past midnight, and except for himself, only one other guest was left. The man by the counter, counting change to get a cup of coffee, was probably homeless. His clothes looked like they could have been new sometime in the eighties. His hair was matted and tangled, and his shoes could fall apart any minute.

For Isaac, it was like looking at a future self. This was what he would become. He had no home, he had no money, he really didn't have any friends either. The few people he'd called friends lately was really just new acquaintances he'd only hung out with for a few months.

The slam of the door made Isaac look up. Scott came straight towards him. "I could smell you in here as I passed. Why are you here?" He sat down across from him. Scott had the decency to look away for a second as Isaac wiped a tear of his cheek. "I, I wanted to let Derek and Stiles have some privacy. I need to find a place." He tried to put on a smile, but Scott wasn't fooled by it.

"Derek and Stiles." His face hardened as he said their names. "I see. Okay. You're coming home with me, you can't sit here all night."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Mr Stilinski tried to stay focused on the problem at hand. This was, after all, a murder investigation. It wasn't easy, and he was actually happy that the county sent more manpower to help them out. Unlike when they found the girl, when the medical examiner didn't show up for four hours, he came promptly this time.

Scott and Allison were let go shortly after, with a caution to show up at the police station the next day. The sheriff did his best to stay out of the way while the CSU did their job. He was clenching a piece of paper in his hand hoping that nobody would notice that something was missing.

As soon as he was let go too, he ran back to the Hale-house to get the jeep. Speeding though the woods, he felt an intense urge to do his own research. At Derek's place, he pondered on knocking the door, but decided against it. He left Stiles' car outside and took his own back to the station.

First of all, he needed to find out more about this Derek-person. Scott had claimed that Stiles' was in love with this guy, but that could not be true. He knew his son. Stiles wouldn't just fall in love with a guy. Regardless, everything they had on file on the Hale-family had to be checked out again.

The station was practically buzzing. Getting his hands on the older files could be difficult, but everything he could access on the computer would be a piece of cake.

With the new revelations in mind, he also vaguely remembered the incident at the station where he himself was cuffed to the wall and eventually knocked out. He'd seen things back then that he didn't believe, and he'd always thought it was just hallucinations brought on by the slight concussion he suffered.

Revisiting the files, he remembered Derek more clearly. The fire in the Hale-house had been a big thing back then, but without any witnesses they had to stop the investigation. When the body of Laura Hale was discovered, they looked into it again. Derek was arrested on suspicion of murdering his sister few months ago, but the charges didn't stick. Mr Stilinski wished that he'd taken more time interviewing him. Leaving it to another officer was a bad choice, but who could have known. As soon as Derek was proven innocent, the guy just became a name in a file.

Everything that happened later, with the Argent family, had made the sheriff forget about the guy completely. And then they had all these, seemingly, random murders. It had been a few busy months. The whole Hale-family was soon forgotten, and now Mr Stilinski tried his best to remember if Derek had been around back then. He remembered his face, but couldn't tell if he'd seen him with Stiles, proving that this had gone on for a while.

Mr Stilinski pulled the crumbled piece of paper out of his pocket. It was the same list they'd found on the girl. One of the few differences was that this one was clean. On this one the crosses next to Reyes' and Boyd's names was clearer. The two names written in pen on the other one, was now typed. 'Stlinsky' was still misspelled, but the message was clear as day.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Stiles and Derek were lying next to each other, lacing their fingers together. After the quickest shower in the history of showers, they'd dived back into bed. "Hmm. Derek? That was... nice, I mean awesome." Stiles sighed and turned to Derek. "I can't wait until I'm fully healed, this combined with..." He rolled his eyes. "I'm drooling already."

Derek smiled to himself before he moved over to embrace Stiles. "We might not... Your dad. Things can change." He could see that Stiles frowned a little, before he flashed his teeth in a bright smile. "Oh, sourwolf, let's enjoy this and not worry about... things... that can change."

A howl from the distance made Derek sit up abruptly. It was not a familiar voice. He looked at Stiles. The guy had obviously not heard the sound, but the expression on his face told Derek that he knew that something had changed already. "What? Are they here? You're scaring me."

Against all instincts, Derek lied back down on the bed. He wrapped his arms around Stiles and pulled him closer. "Don't worry about it. I'm here. We'll be fine."

He knew it was a bad choice. He should have rounded up the forces and fought against this threat, but he didn't want to get out of bed tonight. Derek grabbed the blanket and pulled it up to cover them both. "Sleep tight. We'll deal with this tomorrow."


	27. Chapter 27

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another almost invisible Scisaac moment. Another confrontation between Derek and the sheriff. A couple of werewolves concocting a plan to get rid of Stiles and the Argents. I guess that's about it for the summary. (I really don't care much for the introduction of new, original characters in a fanfic, so I'm sorry guys. They will not play a big role. An important role, but not big.)

Isaac was happy he didn't have to spend the night at the diner. It would have been sort of okay, but waking up in Scott's room rested and ready for a new day was way better. He wanted to check the time, but realized that his phone was at Derek's. It didn't matter. He didn't use it very often. He really didn't have many friends.

He didn't want to wake up Scott, so he huddled under the blanket again. He was pretty sure it was too early to get up anyway. Scott's alarm would alert them when they had to get ready for school. He peeked over at Scott, and wondered if he should try to scare the whits out of the guy. Chuckling silently to himself, he thought about what happened a few hours ago.

When they came to Scott's house late last night, Isaac just asked for a blanket so he could sleep on the floor, but Melissa would hear of it. She insisted that Scott's bed was big enough for the both of them.

It had been an awkward moment as the two of them stared at the bed and then at each other. Scott's mom just scoffed and walked away. Minutes later, she was back with a spare blanket and a couple of pillows. "It'll be fine, boys. Stiles has slept in this bed multiple times."

As soon as Melissa had left, Isaac couldn't help himself. "Really? So Stiles has slept here with you? Was that before or after he decided go to bat for..." He didn't get to finish. Scott punched him on the shoulder. "Shut up. There was never... I couldn't have... Oh, fuck you." When Scott stomped out of the room, Isaac laughed. "It'll be fine. I'm sorry. Me bad."

Later, when they both had brushed their teeth and Scott was in his pajama, Isaac undressed and was about to crawl under the blanket when Scott stopped him. "Oh, no, you're not." He rushed to the closet and dug out a pair of pajama pants and a t-shirt. "You can not go to bed here in only underwear."

Issac took the garments he was handed and rolled his eyes. "I see, okay, but I'm sorry to say that you're really not my type, you're completely safe."

Scott didn't comment on it, he just gestured for Isaac to get the clothes on. He then lied down on the far end of the bed. Being used to sleep in the nude, Isaac felt overdressed, and he had to get rid of the t-shirt during the night.

Sleep caught up with him again before he managed to concoct a plan to freak out Scott. It turned out it wasn't necessary. When the alarm went off, he woke up with Scott's arm over his chest. The guy practically dived out of bed and with a thump, he landed on the floor. Scott had effectively scared himself.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Allison stepped out of her car and panned the parking-lot. Except for the few cars idling as parents were letting their kids out, it was unusually quiet. Everybody was looking at the School flag. It was flying half-staff.

Allison walked up the stairs, wondering what was going on. Nobody else seemed to know either, so she just walked to homeroom, hoping to get an explanation. The bell rang, and shortly after the speaker in the classroom made a crackling noise.

"Good morning students. I'm very sorry to have to tell you this, but we have learned that one of our own died last night. We have also been informed that the body that was found in the woods on Wednesday was also a student here." The person speaking blew her nose. "Sorry, It's hard." A sigh was heard before the principal's secretary continued. "We have an announcement."

After a brief commotion, the principal's voice came through the speakers. "This is a time for mourning, but it's also a time to move on." He paused, and Allison watched some of her classmates struggling not to cry. "A few of you have an exam today, and we will not postpone it. There is really no time to make it up. I'm so sorry." He drew his breath an continued. "For the rest of you, go home, be with your loved ones. Next week, most of you have exams. Use this opportunity to study at home. God bless you."

Allison stared at the speaker. That was the lamest speech she'd ever heard. He could have said something about those two students – Allison knew it was Boyd and Erica – he could have at least tried to sound like he cared.

She stomped out of the classroom in anger. If flying the flag half-staff and giving a sorry excuse for a speech was all the school could offer, it was a disgrace. Boyd and Erica had never been on any honor-roll. They had struggled through their time here for different reasons. That they started to skip classes and eventually just left, shouldn't be an issue. Allison felt that the school and the principal had taken an easy way out.

In the hall, she ran into Isaac and before she got a chance to express her anger, Scott came around the corner. Allison looked at them, both. "Let's go. We have more important things to do." She grabbed on to Scott's sleeve and waved for Isaac to follow. Scott stood firm and cocked his head. "I can't." He shrugged a little. "I want to, but I have this exam."

Allison let go of Scott's sleeve and rubbed her forehead vigorously. "I'm sorry, of course. I'm sorry." She looked at Isaac, and the guy shrugged. "Me too."

There was a moment of awkward silence before Scott moved forward and gave her a hug. "It's okay. We're not as smart as you. We can't skip this." Isaac chuckled a little as he put a hand on Scott's shoulder. "Scott and I have to do this. I'll take care of him." Scott stepped away as to avoid the touch. He wrapped his arms around Allison and gave her a quick kiss. "Take care, I'll call you as soon as I'm done."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

When the light outside told him that morning was coming, Sheriff Stilinski realized that he'd spent almost the whole night researching Derek Hale. Everybody else at the station probably thought he was working the case, but he couldn't help himself.

What he'd learned from the files didn't fit the image he'd gotten when he met the guy in person.

He'd looked into what they had on Isaac Lahey also, and although he remembered clearly what happened when the boy's dad got killed, there were a few new findings.

Tired and confused, Mr Stilinski got up and left his office. He knew he should be there for Scott and Allison's interview, and decided to get a few hours of shut-eye before school was out. It was five o'clock and the station seemed abandoned now. The guy at the front desk looked tired and just lifted his hand in a silent salute as the sheriff headed outside.

He knew he should have stayed. The detectives assigned to the case would expect him to be there, but he couldn't really help them much in his current state of mind. Anyway, if the CSU was done with the crime scene, they would all be at the lab or in the autopsy-room right now. Every deputy on shift was helping out, and none of them had called in with any new leads.

It was already established at the scene that the sheriff shouldn't head this investigation. His connection with the witnesses and the fact that he himself was a witness, made that clear. He was happy about it, but he knew that he should have helped out regardless.

He got into his car and drove off. He wanted to check on his son. He wanted to know more about the werewolves. He wanted to find out if it was any truth to Scott's slip about Derek and Stiles.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Derek eased himself out of bed and tiptoed out of the room. He paused at the door for a moment to look at Stiles before he left. He was still sleeping soundly. He made some coffee and dug out some food from the fridge. He decided to make a simple breakfast with scrambled eggs and toast. After a short deliberation with himself, he threw a couple of slices of bacon in the pan.

The sun wasn't up yet, but it's rays were reflected on the rooftop across the street. It was quiet outside. No howls or other noises disturbed the peace. Seconds later, he heard a car approaching. He expected it to drive by, so he continued with his task.

The bacon was done and as he put it on a plate, Derek realized that he could still hear the engine of that car. It was idling right outside the building. He poured the egg-batter into the pan and stirred it slowly. His senses were on alert as he, with his other hand, popped a couple of slices of bread into the toaster.

Whoever it was took their time. For several minutes nothing happened, and then the sound suddenly vanished. Moments later, he could hear a car door slam shut. Then, someone knocked on the front door.

Derek pushed the pan off the burner and went to grab his jeans. He snuck into the bedroom and managed to find them without waking Stiles. Another knock came before he left, and he threw a peek at Stiles. There was no reaction.

He hurried to get dressed before he rushed downstairs. He'd had an idea of who it was, and as soon as he reached the door, he knew he was correct. Derek swallowed hard before he opened the door for the sheriff. This was going to be extremely awkward.

The guy looked like he hadn't slept a wink for days. Derek expected him to say something as he entered, but he just walked past him without as much as a greeting. "I, uh, welcome. Stiles is sleeping, you, uh, you want some coffee?" Derek stuttered the words out as he followed Stiles' dad upstairs.

Stilinski didn't answer. He walked over to the couch and slumped down before he threw a piece of paper on the table. For Derek it was like a deja-vu. The list was similar to the one he had in his pocket, but this one was not in an evidence-bag.

The sheriff rubbed his eyes. "It was attached to the body we found. Vernon Boyd. How did you know where we'd find him?" The look Mr Stilinski gave him told Derek instantly that he was under suspicion. Possibly for the murder, but he didn't really believe that. The sheriff had put two and two together and wanted to know if Derek was a werewolf too.

"I, we, we went to the house to pick up something, and I heard, I mean, I, damn it." Derek realized that he had no plausible explanation that would convince the guy. With a smirk the sheriff leaned back. "You could smell it, couldn't you?"

Derek exhaled audibly, and closed his eyes for a second. "Yes, Sir! Yes I did." He expected the sheriff to jump up and make a scene, but instead he just shook his head and sighed. "So you're one of them? A were..." It looked like he was in pain, and he drew his breath quickly. "...wolf."

When Mr Stilinski just sat there staring at his own hands, Derek moved towards the kitchen. He poured coffee into two cups and returned. He put one of them on the table in front of the sheriff. "This coffee is better, I promise."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Allison didn't know what to do. She could of course just go home, but it felt like she'd been grounded the past few days, and she wanted to enjoy this feeling of freedom. She knew that she had to be careful, but as long as her dad thought she was in school, she'd have a few hours to herself.

A tap on her shoulder made her jump. "Lydia!? Where the hell have you been!?" She gave her friend a quick hug. Lydia shrugged and cocked her head. "It's not like you even tried to find out. Haven't heard a word from anybody." She pouted a little.

"Oh, sorry, it's been... pfft." With a sigh, Allison realized that she couldn't explain away anything for Lydia. "I'll tell you, how much time do you have?" Lydia made big deal of scrolling through the calendar on her phone, before she looked up. "How about the whole day. I have nothing better to do."

Lydia had been gone for more than a week, and explained that her grandmother was dying. "I just came back now, because of the exam on Monday." She gestured towards the school as they drove off in Allison's car. "I didn't expect to come back to this. Who died?" She asked the question with a chipper voice. Allison threw her a quick glance; she wasn't sure it was appropriate to act like that. Then again, the residents of Beacon Hills had almost gotten used to young people's violent deaths.

"Erica and Boyd. They were found...eh, Scott found Boyd last night. Erica was found two days ago." Allison suddenly got a little emotional, and concentrated on the driving to avoid shedding any tears. Lydia sighed heavily and leaned back in the seat. "Oh, well, they took off didn't they? They shouldn't have done that."

Allison shook her head. "Well, yeah, but... It was a very brutal way to teach them that they made a mistake." She was slightly abhorred by her friend's behavior at the moment. Lydia didn't seem to care at all. "Are you not even a little bit sad about this?"

With a quick move, Lydia dug her lip-gloss out of the bag and applied some on her lips. "I am, really, but I didn't know them; not much." She put the gloss back and turned to Allison. "But that isn't all, is it?"

When Allison parked outside Derek's place, Lydia looked at her puzzled. "Why are we here? We could go to the mall or something. Derek is not my idea of good company." For a moment it looked like she wouldn't get out of the car, but when Allison opened the door for her, she reluctantly stepped out onto the sidewalk. "There is more, but I think I need a bit of help for this. I can't really... Come on." Allison grabbed her phone and dialed Stiles' number. As soon as he picked up, she peeked at Lydia before she spoke. "Are you at Derek's?" When Stiles confirmed that he was, she continued. "I'm here with Lydia. Can you let us in?"

Stiles didn't come to the door; Derek did. He greeted them with a bright smile and gestured for them to ascend the stairs. "Welcome. We didn't expect visitors this early; it's like a train-station up here." He chuckled a little from behind them, but there was no humor in it. Lydia stared at Allison with wide open eyes as she mouthed: "O-M-G!" Then she lifted a finger to her temple and twirled it around.

"You think I'm crazy? What did she tell you?" Derek seemed amused. Lydia's facial expression didn't change, but she turned her head slightly towards Derek. "Nothing. She told me nothing that involves you. What's going on?"

When they entered the room, they saw Mr Stilinski hurry to get out of the couch. Again, Lydia stared at Allison in disbelief. Stiles was nowhere to be seen. The scent of bacon tickled Allison's nose and she looked over to the kitchen area. Two pieces of toast were sticking up from the toaster; a pan with something that could be an attempt on scrambled eggs sat on the stove. On a plate next to it, she could see a couple of slices of bacon.

Derek followed her line of view. "Oh, yeah I got interrupted." He nodded towards the sheriff. "Poor Stiles didn't get any breakfast yet."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

As soon as he was off the phone with Allison, Stiles jumped out of bed and got dressed. He yelled for Derek to let them in before he made a quick detour to the bathroom. As he stepped out on the landing, he could hear Derek's voice; he was talkig about making breakfast. "Were you going to serve me breakfast in bed? I love this, I love you."

He instantly took a step back when he saw his dad standing in the middle of the floor with a disgruntled expression on his face. "Oh, I mean, I meant, uh..." He exhaled and slumped his head down. "I meant what I meant. Dad, we need to talk. There's a conversation we..."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

A Mercedes convertible was idling at the outskirts of the woods. The sun was up, but it's rays didn't reach under the canopy of branches and leaves. The driver got out and sniffed into the air before he turned to his passenger. "He's not here. Why do you care so much?" He got back in his seat and turned the key.

"He, he.. I'm gonna..." The woman next to him shook her head before she looked down. "I'm not sure I can do this." She twisted her hands. "If you're certain about convincing him, I'm all in, but..."

When she looked up again her face had hardened. "Stilinski has to be eliminated. If you do that, I can play my part and..." She nodded to herself. "It'll make it easier."

As he started the car and pulled out on the road, the man turned to her. "I can do that. He's a human. How hard can that be?" They'd reached the main road and was now heading away from Beacon Hills. "The Argents have to be taken out too." The driver entered the ramp to the highway. "It could turn out nasty. As humans they have a few tricks up their sleeves."

The woman didn't comment on it, and she kept quiet for a long time before she cleared her throat. "I'll take care of the Argents. I've dealt with Chris Argent before. He killed my brother. I don't know the daughter, but she is young. It'll be easy."


	28. Chapter 28

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another confrontation between Mr Stilinski and Derek is coming. It starts out somewhat awkward, but after a while it goes surprisingly well. Not great, but well. A call changes the whole scenario and Derek gets distracted. Allison and Scott are at the station to give their statement on what happened in the woods. Scott's answers starts a chain of events that ends up pretty bad.

When Isaac came back to the loft, it was empty and quiet. He entered his room, and then picked up his phone to discover that it was completely dead. He found the charger and plugged it in before he turned the phone on. Just as he was about to leave his room, he heard the sound of an incoming text. Puzzled by this, he went back and looked at it.

"Sry I havent kept in touch. :/ Need help. Erica left a few weeks ago 2 join Derek. Havent heard from her since. Tell me shes ok. Stupid me ws 2 proud 2 go back, but now I think I should. U think Derek will mind?"

It was from Boyd. It had been sent yesterday morning, which told Isaac that the guy had been alive and well only hours before his dead body was found. He wondered if things could have looked different if he'd gotten the text immediately. Isaac wondered if Boyd would still be alive if they had warned him about the Alphas.

He also wondered where Derek and Stiles could be. After the shit hit the fan last night, sheriff Stilinski could have come back and taken his son home. Isaac looked for something to eat as he pondered on calling Derek. He should probably tell the police about the text, but wanted to run it by Derek first.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Derek waited patiently outside the Stilinski house. He had no idea what would happen next, and it bothered him greatly. The events from this morning could turn everything upside down. As soon as the sheriff had digested Stiles' words, he'd insisted on taking him home. Allison and Lydia had silently withdrawn from the scene and left without a comment.

A couple of hours later, after being left alone in the loft, Derek got a text from Stiles. "He want's to talk to you, come over later." Not knowing what 'later' meant, he decided to just go, and now, he'd been sitting outside the house for almost two hours.

Ever so often, he'd exited the car and sniffed into the air. There were no indications that there were any werewolves nearby, so he got back in and tried to relax.

He was about to doze off when his phone rang. It was Isaac. When he learned the saddening news about Boyd, he tried to convince Isaac that it probably wouldn't have mattered. "According to the list, he was already a target. They planned to kill him. I'm sure they knew that he was heading back here before he sent that text."

Suddenly Derek realized that the list was still in his possession. He should give it back. The sheriff could get in trouble if evidence was missing. He dug it out of his pocket while he was still on the phone with Isaac. "It's not your fault, Isaac. Nothing you could have done would have changed this." Derek gave the boy a quick explanation on why he and Stiles wasn't there, which made Isaac even sadder. "Relax, Isaac. We'll figure it out. There are more important issues at hand."

As he looked up, Derek noticed that Stiles was standing by the window looking at him. He hurried to end the conversation with Isaac, and got out of the car. For a moment, they stared at each other before Stiles stepped away from the window. A few seconds later, the front door opened and Stiles came out. He smiled tentatively, and then he waved Derek over.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

If things had been awkward before, it reached a new level of awkward when Derek walked through the door. Stiles wanted to at least give him a hug, but with the sheriff sitting at the dining table watching, it felt weird.

"I was about to call you when I saw your car." Stiles tried his best to sound calm, but his insides were churning. "How long have you been sitting there?" He walked towards his dad, and gestured for Derek to follow.

When he pulled out a chair for Derek, the guy seemed reluctant to sit. A nod from the sheriff made him change his mind and as soon as he was seated, Stiles sat down also. Nobody volunteered to say anything. After several minutes of silence between the three of them, it became very uncomfortable.

Stiles swallowed hard before he cleared his throat. "I told him everything. Everything. I mean... everything I know." He drew his breath. "I mean about the werewolf stuff. He knows..."

Another round of awkward silence followed before his dad straightened himself up in his seat and stared at Derek. "What do you want with my son?" He scrunched his face as if he was in pain. "Are you guys..." The sheriff rubbed his forehead vigorously before he continued. "My son is not gay, you can't ..."

When Stiles realized that his dad was more concerned about his and Derek's relationship, he knew he had to intervene. "DAD! We can talk about that later. Can we concentrate on the fact that I'm threatened?"

Slowly, as if it was an instant replay, Stiles' dad looked at him before he again turned to Derek. "What do you want with my son?"

Stiles was about to intervene again, when Derek lifted his hand. "No Stiles, No!" He looked down for a second, before he lifted his head and sighed. "Stiles and I are kind of... we like each other, but we, he, we, it has nothing to do with the threat. He need's protection."

Stiles noticed that his dad got a little thrown off. The sheriff rubbed his forehead again. Then, he squeezed his eyes shut . "Are you two in a sexual relationship?" Stiles could see that Derek got startled by the direct question, but he managed to keep a straight face. He threw a glance at Stiles, and Stiles gave him the smallest head-shake he could manage, hoping Derek would get the point.

He squirmed in his seat. The embarrassment was almost unbearable. He had no idea what Derek would say, and got utterly surprised when he heard the guy's reply.

"No Sir. We are not. Maybe we will, but for now we're just... finding out." Derek seemed calm and collected as he looked down on his hands before he again turned to the sheriff. Stiles was in awe. That was the most convincing lie he'd ever heard. If he hadn't know any better, he'd easily have believed it himself. Derek continued. "But that does not matter, Stiles is in danger. He has to be protected. He's on the list, and he's defenseless without me, uh, us."

Stiles was pretty sure that his dad wanted to know more about this love-connection. After they arrived at the house, Stiles had done his best to avoid any questions about the particularities of the relationship. Every time the sheriff tried to bring it up, Stiles had effectively managed to avert the topic by revealing more and more about what really happened after the werwolves took Allison.

He'd also thrown in a few tidbits about the Argents and their involvement. That had been a wise choice, because for a moment, it had seemed like the sheriff had given up asking about Derek.

Shortly after that, his dad had rubbed his eyes and yawned before he got up. "This is a lot to digest. I need to... I'm tired." As he walked towards the stairs, the sheriff seemed like he was carrying a heavy burden. He'd turned his head slightly and stared at his son. "I can't deal with all this now, I need sleep. When I come back, you'll call Derek and get him over."

Stiles had sent the text, and had partially expected a reply. When that didn't happen, he pondered on calling, but as he sat down on the couch - phone in hand - he'd just fallen asleep.

When his dad eventually came downstairs, he'd repeated the demand. "Call Derek, now!" Stiles woke up instantly and had paced around for a bit to buy some time. He paused at the window as he found Derek's number on the phone. About to press 'call' he'd noticed the Camaro outside. Stiles watched Derek get out of the car before he ran to the door to let him in.

At the moment, Stiles could feel a headache coming on. He wanted to tell the truth, but knew it would be a bad idea. He felt that Derek was handling this well, and hoped that they could soon get back to talking about the rogue Alphas out there.

As Stiles got up from his seat to sit on the couch, the phone rang. Mr Stilinski hurried to grab it and while Stiles tried to get comfortable, he could see on his dad's face that he didn't get good news.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Scott and Allison got surprised when they discovered that Mr Stilinski wasn't at the station. They'd both hoped that he would be the one interviewing them. It didn't really matter. They knew what to say, and had perfected their story to make it more convincing.

Allison went in first and after giving her a quick hug, Scott found a seat and waited patiently. It took a surprisingly short time before she was back. She gave him a bright smile and and encouraging wink. "Easy, it was easy. I told them exactly what I saw, omitting the fact that Isaac and Stiles' dad were there."

It was true, she'd really come strolling through the woods when she stumbled on the body. That she was with Isaac, and the fact that Scott and Mr Stilinski was there already, had been easy to lie about.

They didn't get a chance to talk anymore before Scott was shown the way into the interview room. He was a little nervous. "Why were you out in the woods that late?" The officer went straight to business as soon as Scott's ass hit the seat.

Feeling a little uncomfortable under the stare, Scott shifted a little before he lifted his head. "Uh, I, we wanted some alone-time." After he'd taken a breath, he noticed that the police-officer gave him a smile. "Relax, I understand. Just continue."

He calmed down somewhat before he started ranting about his and Allison's relationship; how they broke up and got together again. He mentioned that their parents didn't approve and that they had to hide it somewhat.

After several minutes, he realized that the guy in front of him wasn't really interested in his love-life, but he was patiently waiting until Scott managed to shut up. "I see. And then you found the body, right?" He obviously tried to coach Scott back on track. "Uh, yeah. It was horrible. We wanted to run away."

The officer gave him another smile, and looked down on some papers in front of him. "And then, you called Mr Stilinski. Why not call 911?" Scott got a little thrown off by the smooth voice combined with a penetrating stare. "We, I, well, I know him. We freaked out. I don't know why. It was pure instinct."

The guy nodded and sat back. "Hm, did you notice anything about the body that you haven't mentioned yet? Anything odd or surprising?" He cocked his head and again, he had that ghost of a smile on his lips.

Scott had no idea what he was referring to. "No, I don't... except for the obvious mutilation... which was... I have no words." He covered his face with his hands. "And that I recognized him as Vernon Boyd... I don't know, can't think of anything else."

The officer collected his papers and was about to get up, making Scott sigh in relief. But then he scrunched his face and rubbed his chin. "You didn't happen to see a piece of paper?"

Scott furrowed his brows, and thought about it for a moment. He closed his eyes and tried to remember the scene. "Maybe..." He saw Boyd's body in his mind and recollected that he'd seen something white on the guy's chest. "There might have been. I'm not sure. I didn't get too close. I think, yeah, It could have been a piece of paper lying on his chest. Why?"

He didn't get an answer to the question. The officer looked sad as he again picked the papers up from the table. "Never mind. You can go now. We'll call you if we need more."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

As soon as the sheriff was off the phone, he walked straight to the liquor-cabinet and grabbed a bottle of Jack. He picked up two glasses and handed one of them to Derek. As he was about to pour the liquid into the glass, Derek covered it with his hand. "Thank you, Sir, but no, I'm driving."

The sheriff stared at him for a moment before he grabbed the glass again and filled it up. "Fuck that. You're drinking with me." He then filled the other glass and lifted it in a silent toast. "I screwed up. I'm off the investigation completely. I stole a piece of evidence."

Stiles had watched the two of them from his place on the couch. Now, he jumped up and stared at his dad. "You what?" He could still feel the lingering headache, but tried to ignore it as he stood up. "What piece of evidence?" Stiles watched as Derek got up an grabbed for something in his pocket. "This!" He threw an evidence bag on the table and sat down again.

Downing the drink in one gulp, the sheriff reached into his own pocket. "Yeah, and this." The slightly crumbled piece of paper landed on the table next to the other one. "I don't know why, I just, I just didn't want to involve Stiles. I didn't want them to know."

Derek looked up at Stiles with fondness mixed with concern. "He is involved regardless. It's my fault, but I will do my best to protect him."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Derek knew that getting drunk at this moment was not the best idea in the world. He tried to take it slow, but the sheriff kept urging him. Stiles was - for once - quiet and withdrawn. He was clearly uncomfortable with the situation, and Derek had no problems understanding.

"So you and my son... but he's... he likes girls, doesn't he?" She sheriff's speech was a bit slurred after a few drinks. "I mean... he did." Derek had no idea what to say, he didn't know if the sheriff even expected any answers.

Derek cleared his throat, but before he got a chance to say anything, Mr Stilinski continued. "He is my son, my only son. He... I will love him regardless, it's just... weird." He lifted his glass to his lips and took a sip. "Maybe it's just a phase."

Derek noticed that Stiles had got up from the couch and now, he approached them. "Dad! You're making him uncomfortable. We are... we are exploring this option, and we..." Before Stiles could finish his dad slammed a hand on the table. "He should be uncomfortable. He' a werewolf, a predator. He's going after a young innocent boy. He should be ashamed."

At the word 'innocent', Derek noticed that Stiles blushed, but he didn't falter. "No, dad. He's a complete gentleman. He didn't lure me into anything. I... love him." Stiles' face turned pink again, and he looked away for a second. "When you get to know him, you'll see. He is a nice guy. The werewolf thing is just part of the package. He's a..." Derek could see that Stiles struggled not to laugh. "He's like a puppy."

Derek drew his breath and held it for a second as he let his gaze travel across the ceiling. He didn't know if he should be annoyed and angered by the comparison, or if he should just laugh it off. 'A puppy? Some nerve on that boy!' Derek decided to find an appropriate punishment for this later, when they were alone.

He had to chuckle a little to himself. It wouldn't surprise him if Stiles knew what he was doing when he used the word. The little smile on Stiles' face seemed to express that he was looking forward to this punishment with anticipation.

Suddenly the sheriff got up from his seat. "I need... We need some food." Derek and Stiles looked at each other. For a moment they had both forgotten about what was really the issue around the table. Clearly Mr Stilinski had forgotten too.

He stumbled towards the door, and Stiles was about to grab him. "You can't go out and get food now, you can't drive." The sheriff huffed. "I know! I just need some air. Order something." Stiles took a couple of steps back, and gave Derek a bright smile. "I think he'll come around," he whispered as he reached for the phone, "What do you want to eat?"

The sheriff fumbled a little with the lock before he flung the door open and stepped outside. In a split second Derek realized that he'd been too careless. He had let himself be numbed by the alcohol, abandoning his role as a guardian.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

The guy moved towards the house, making sure he had the wind against him. He sniffed into the air as he leaned on the wall next to the door. The unmistakable smell of an Alpha was trickling into his nostrils. Derek Hale was clearly on the premises. The more the faint scent of a human reached his nose - and after concentrating hard - he determined that there were only two people in the house.

The guy knew that even if Stilinski was just a human, they still slightly outnumbered him; so he wanted to wait for the right opportunity before he made his move. Knowing that the Hale-guy could smell him if he wasn't careful he stepped away and hid between the bushes.

He could hear whispers from inside, but was too far away to distinguish the words. After a half hour, he heard footsteps and soon, the front door opened. The foliage was covering his view somewhat, but the human scent hit him in the face, making him take the chance.

He leaped up and dived towards the man in the doorway. He was soon on top of him and as he dug his claws into the guys flesh, he realized that he'd made a horrible mistake. This was not the Stilinski-boy. This was a middle-aged man. The plan had been to kill him swiftly, but the few seconds it took to get over this screw-up was enough to destroy that plan completely.

The man screamed in pain and within seconds, Derek Hale rushed through the door followed by a skinny character. Before the werewolf managed to react, he was punched in the face and as he landed, Derek's hand was on his throat. The young boy was hovering over them, and just before he got his throat ripped out he knew what had gone wrong.

Stiles Stilinski was so induced with the scent of his mate, that he barely emitted a scent of his own. That's why he could only detect two people. He never got a chance to tell anybody; moments later, he was forever silenced.


	29. Chapter 29

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Drama ahead. Chris and Derek have a late meeting to get rid of evidence. Melissa steps up and takes care of Stiles. They are waiting for news on Mr Stilinski. The other teenagers feel the need to have a normal evening. They don't know anything about what happened with the sheriff.

It wasn't that long ago since sunset, but the surroundings were significantly darker than usual. Every move he made, every breath he took, even the scream he emitted seemed to go on in slow-motion. There was blood everywhere.

While Stiles himself crouched down next to his father, he noticed that even if the the rest of the world had come to a halt, Derek moved with a speed that made the scene almost comical. Within a split second, he'd removed his shirt. With one hand, he used it to try to stop the bleeding from the sheriff's neck and with his other hand, he picked up his phone and dialed 911. 

Even in the dim light, Stiles still noticed that his father's face slowly turned pale. He wondered how long it would take for him to bleed out. “Dad, stay with me!” His own voice sounded weird, as if it was on low speed as well. A little flutter in his dad's lashes told him that he was still semi-conscious. “I love you.” The words seemed to take all the strength out of the sheriff, and Stiles wondered if that would be his last words on this earth.

He didn't know for how long Derek had yelled at him, but when he got a hard slap on his cheek, Stiles suddenly snapped out of this weird slow-mo state.

“Hold here!” Derek grabbed his hand and put it on the t-shirt that was partially wrapped around his dad's neck. “We have to move fast.” Derek leaned over with his head cocked as if he was listening to something. “His heart rate is still somewhat steady, but it won't take long before...” A moan from the sheriff cut him off, and he stared at the guy.

Stiles watched as his dad opened his eyes slightly and grabbed Derek's wrist. “Derek, take care of him for me.” Derek hitched his breath. “I will.” The words were almost inaudible, but the sheriff must have heard. As he passed out there was a twitch in the corner of his mouth as if he tried to smile.

When Stiles heard the distant sound of sirens, he sighed in relief. He didn't know if it was too late, but as long as his dad's heart was still pumping, there was hope.

Derek got up and grabbed the guy splayed out on the pavement next to the sheriff. Stiles had completely forgotten about him, and he wondered what Derek would do with him. “I killed him, I need to get rid of the evidence. I can't take care of you from jail.” He dragged the dead werewolf towards the side of the house and dumped it behind the trash cans. The darkness helped to cover it. “I'll deal with that later.”

Seconds later, the ambulance turned into the street and Derek ran to the curb to guide them to the correct house.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

They were all gathered together in Allison's room. After the interview at the station, Scott and Allison had ran into Isaac outside. He'd been adamant about sharing a text he got from Boyd, but the two of them urged him not to. Reluctantly he'd followed them to Allison's place, where Lydia was already waiting.

They shared the information they had and tried to come to terms with it. Lydia was seriously pissed off because she hadn't gotten much of an explanation to everybody's weird behavior yet.

“So Derek and Stiles are sort of together?” She rolled her eyes. “I... Allison told me that, but.. really?” When Isaac and Scott nodded in unison, she threw a glance at Allison. “It wasn't that I didn't believe you. It's just...”

Allison just sighed and gave her friend a pat on the shoulder. “Don't even think about it. I have a hard time believing it myself, but I know it's true.” She shook her head and sighed to herself. “I knew it before it was explained to me. I just couldn't believe.”

A tap on the door made them all turn towards it. Allison's dad was standing in the doorway with a disgruntled expression on his face. “I can't protect you all. This is like... I don't know...” He sighed and turned to his daughter. “Allison! We can't have this. We know they're out there. You are not safe with them.” Chris Argent shifted his gaze between Scott and Isaac. “Sorry guys, but I'm not gonna put my daughter's life into your hands.”

Isaac got up. “Yes, Sir, I understand. We should leave.” Allison rushed over to him, and pushed him back down to his seat. “No.” She turned to her dad. “NO! We are stronger together.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “Can't we just be normal teenagers tonight. Let's watch a movie, have some pizza, and pretend.”

Chris Argent panned the room before he sighed heavily. “I suppose... Okay, I guess it's safe.” He looked at Scott. “Make sure to keep your senses on alert. We don't want any surprises. You too, Isaac.”

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Derek watched as the ambulance took off towards the hospital. After it had arrived at the house, a few of the neighbors emerged. While the paramedics took care of Mr Stilinski, Derek did his best to keep them away from the scene.

The streetlights were not lit, and Derek wondered if the werewolf had anything to do with it. Right now, he was happy about it. The darkness covered up all the blood effectively.

Stiles wanted him too to ride along. Derek could understand that, but he was happy that there was no room for him in the ambulance. He promised to come as soon as possible. He'd given Stiles' hand a quick squeeze. “I just need to take the trash out.” Derek nodded towards the side of the house, and could see that Stiles got the point.

He wasn't sure how to get rid of the body, and wondered if he should call for help. The only one he could think of was Chris Argent. After the fight in the garage, Chris had taken care of the bodies. Derek had trailed the woods looking for the Alphas, and hadn't even caught a whiff of the dead ones.

He had no idea what Mr Argent had done with them, but he must have found a way to dispose of them without a trace.

As soon as the neighbors were gone, Derek pulled his car as close to the house as he could before he maneuvered the dead guy into his trunk. The guy was young. He'd made a stupid mistake. Derek was pretty sure that this was not their leader. Someone else was running the show, and he wondered if there were more of them than the six they had encountered in the garage.

The other guy who had fled through the window of the garage last Sunday, had not behaved like a leader either. He'd been strong, and as far as Derek could remember, he'd seemed more experienced. In spite of this, he still appeared as someone who would take orders, not give them.

After stealing a t-shirt from Mr Stilinski's closet, he grabbed his jacket from the back of the chair. He looked around for the key to the house, and had to dig through the pockets of the sheriff's jacket to find it. He locked up and drove towards the Argent house as he dialed Chris' number. Collaborating with a hunter felt weird, but even if they weren't friends, the two of them shared an understanding. They both wanted to keep the residents of Beacon Hills safe.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

 

Stiles waited for news on his dad. He wanted to call someone. He wanted somebody to talk to. He wanted Derek to come and hold him tight, telling him that everything was going to be okay. He knew that it could take a while for Derek to show up. Stiles had no idea how to get rid of a corpse. Derek probably knew, but it had to be done properly. He couldn't just dump it anywhere, it had to be hidden.

The waiting area was surprisingly quiet. As soon as the ambulance had arrived, Mr Stilinski was taken to the ER. Shortly after that, a doctor came and told Stiles that his dad was brought to the operating room. “He was here for a minor injury last year, so we have all his data on file. It saved us some time. It could possibly save his life.”

“Luckily, he didn't suffer any damage to the... Are you familiar with the terminology?” When Stiles shook his head, the doctor looked down for a second before she continued. “The heart kept pumping blood to his brain and that's a good thing, but the vein that leads the blood back was punctured.” The woman took a breath. “He suffered an enormous blood loss. We are treating him for shock. He is responding, but I can't tell you if he'll survive.”

It sounded so cold and clinical. After spending a few days in the hospital lately, Stiles knew they were just doing their job. He was also aware of the fact that bedside manners weren't necessarily on the curriculum at med-school.

When the doctor left, Stiles felt totally abandoned. He wanted her to stay. He didn't know her, but it would have been nice to have someone around.

Stiles looked at the clock on the wall. He had no idea how long he'd been sitting there, but it seemed like an eternity. He didn't bring his phone, so he couldn't easily make a call. At the moment, he couldn't remember any of his friends numbers, so using the pay-phone wasn't an option. Digging through his pockets, he realized that he didn't have any change anyway.

An orderly came through the waiting area. Stiles managed to get up from his seat and limped towards him. The guy stopped short and looked at him. “You need a doctor? What happened to your leg?” Stiles shook his head. “No, no, I'm fine. I need to call someone, my dad is...” He waved his hand in the direction of the emergency room. “He's in surgery and I need to call someone.”

The guy took a step back as he panned the room. “I'll find somebody that can help you.” He was about to walk away when Stiles grabbed his sleeve. “Oh, please. Can I just borrow your phone? It'll only take a second.” He could see that the orderly got slightly bothered by the request, but then he shrugged and dug into his pocket. “Okay, but I'm in a hurry.”

Stiles had no idea who to call. The only number he could recollect was to Scott's home. Hoping that his friend was there, he dialed it. “Hello!” It was Melissa's voice, and Stiles sighed in relief. “Hi, it's Stiles. Is Scott there?”

When Melissa told him that Scott was at Allison's, Stiles broke. He started sobbing uncontrollably. He didn't know how it was possible to make sense of the few words he managed to get out between the sobs, but Melissa obviously understood. “Hang in there, I'll be there in a few minutes.”

When Stiles handed the phone back to the orderly, the guy seemed a little freaked out. “I, uh, I need to... I can't stay, but I'll find someone...” He patted Stiles' shoulder. “I'm new, it's my first shift, I...” Stiles looked down and shook his head. “It's okay, I'm okay. Thank you. Just go.” He wiped his eyes and sniffled a little. “She'll come.”

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Chris hung up and clenched his hand around the phone. He peeked into the living room at the teenagers cramped together on the couch. After a friendly bickering about what movie to watch and what pizza to order, they had settled down and seemed to have a good time.

The two girls were frowning a little watching the scenes on the screen. 'Jackass' was obviously not their idea of a good movie. He'd heard them give in on one condition, that they could choose the next one.

It had seemed like a good idea to let them relax this evening. These kids had had a hard time lately. They needed to be normal teenagers for a little while. Chris sighed to himself and decided not to let them in on the recent event.

He grabbed his shoes before he snuck through the kitchen. They would be busy for a long time. He'd already given Allison enough money to pay for the pizza they'd ordered, so he'd let them believe that he was busy in the office.

It was a possibility that Scott and Isaac could hear him, but Chris hoped that they were too indulged in the movie to pay any attention to his movements. He'd urged them to keep their senses on alert, but got a little startled when Isaac suddenly appeared in the doorway to the kitchen. “Oh, sorry. I heard a sound. I just wanted to check.”

Chris smiled to himself. It was actually a good thing that the boy had reacted. “No worries. I just have something to do. I'll be back shortly.” Chris gave him a smile, and gestured for him to go back to the living room. “You don't want to miss the movie. Just...” He opened the door to the garage and repeated: “I'll be back shortly. Keep them safe.”

Not waiting for an answer, Chris just left. He wondered if anybody would notice that he didn't take the car. He shrugged a little to himself before he exited the garage through the side door. So maybe they'd wonder, but then again, he was pretty sure they wouldn't pursue it.

Outside, Chris hurried down the street to where he'd told Derek to wait. He didn't want him to come to close to the house. He jumped into the Camaro, and urged Derek to get out of the neighborhood as fast as possible. “I don't know how your senses work, but I have two werewolves at the house, so...”

Speeding out of Beacon Hills, Derek turned to him briefly. “Where are we going? How long will this take? I promised Stiles...” He sighed heavily. “I have to get back there to protect him.” Chris looked at the guy and wondered a bit about the urgency in his voice. “Stiles is at the hospital with his dad. They won't attack him there; this will take a while.”

Chris could see that Derek was trying to keep calm. He wondered about it for a second, but then their exit came up and he had to change the subject. “Next exit. We'll be there shortly.” Guiding Derek through the narrow roads in the middle of nowhere was pretty easy. Even if they had left the streetlights behind, the guy seemed to see the curves long before the beams from the car hit them.

When they eventually closed in on a small lake, Chris told Derek to stop. “We are gonna burn the body. Get him out, I'll be right with you.”

Chris ran to the spot where he kept kerosine. He had to dig into the cavity between the rocks with his bare hands. Regretting that he didn't bring any gloves, he grabbed one of the jars hidden in there.

He went back to Derek and without uttering a word, they moved the body to a pit surrounded by small rocks. It was already a couple of logs in there, and Chris found some twigs and dry leaves that he stuck under and around the body. After douching everything with the liquid from the jar, Chris pulled a lighter out. He lit the matches in a matchbook, before he threw it into the pit. The two of them watched as the body slowly got consumed by the fire.

It took a while. Derek started pacing, as he constantly checked his phone. Chris walked over to the edge of the lake and started to throw small stones into the water. “Will you tell me what happened?” He didn't turn to Derek but could hear that the guy stopped. “How could he get so close? He was after Stiles, right?”

The flickering flames from the fire disturbed his view somewhat as he turned around and stared at Derek. The guy looked down and kicked at some gravel next to the pit. “I, pfft. I had a drink with the sheriff. I was careless, I admit it, but I, we, he had a hard time dealing with everything, and he...” Derek sighed heavily and looked up. “There is a list.”

After listening to Derek explaining everything that had happened the last few days, Chris could understand that the sheriff was a little thrown. He wasn't sure if he got it right, but in the story, Derek sort of implied that his and Stiles' relationship was more than just friendly.

The fire had died down, and together they removed all the remains of the dead werewolf from the pit. They placed it in a sturdy plastic bag before they buried it in the woods a few minutes walk from the lake. Chris decided not to ask Derek about Stiles. It was private. As long as this relationship didn't interfere with the main goal, Chris really couldn't care less.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Melissa came towards him with her arms stretched out. “How are you doing. I'm sorry I wasn't at work, I would have known. I... Come here.” Stiles didn't hesitate for a moment. He dived into her arms and clung to her like a post-it note. “He can't die, I won't allow it.” After uttering the words, tears welled up in his eyes. It was impossible to focus on anything, but knowing that Melissa was there made it easier to feel sane.

She stroked his hair as he cried into her shirt. “Let me check what's going on.” Melissa tried to come out of the embrace, but Stiles didn't want to let go. He'd felt so lonely in there and didn't want to be left alone again. “Just stay with me for a little while longer,” he sniffled before he continued. “I'm not sure I want to know.”

Melissa didn't pursue it any further. She walked them over to the small couch and forced Stiles to sit. “It's okay. We can just sit here for a while.” She sat down next to him and wrapped her arm over his shoulder. “Come on, I'll take care of you.”

As time passed Stiles managed to control the tears. He was still exhausted and scared, but having Mrs McCall next to him made it better.

When Derek practically came crashing through the door, Stiles got startled and looked up at him. He looked like shit. His clothes were dirty and he had black streaks on his face. Even without werewolf-senses, the scent of burnt flesh was overwhelming to Stiles. Before he got a chance to move, he noticed that Melissa covered her nose before she jumped out of her seat.

“Get out of here!” she hissed, as she physically pushed Derek towards the door. “I don't know what you've been up to, but please.” Stiles followed them outside and watched as Mrs McCall tried to rub away the ashes she got on her hands from touching Derek's jacket. “Go home, take a shower and get rid of those clothes. That smell will never come out.”

As he reached his hand out towards Stiles, it seemed like Derek was about to say something. Melissa lifted a finger to her lips in an unmistakable gesture. “No! GO! I will stay here with him.” She took a few steps to the side to get between them, before she grabbed Stiles' hand. “You stink of burnt flesh. GO!” Melissa threw a quick glance around. “Go before anyone else notices. I got this. I'll take care of him.”

Stiles let himself be pulled back towards the emergency entrance of the hospital, as he felt a tear leave the corner of his eyes. “I, I'll be here, she's probably right, you really do stink.” He tried to give Derek a smile, but he knew it was somewhat crooked. “Come back soon. Call me.” Suddenly he remembered that he didn't have his phone. “Oh, no, my phone... it's at home. Oh, just come back soon.”

As Melissa opened the door and practically pushed Stiles through it, Derek just stood there, but then he nodded and walked backwards towards the car. “I'll be back. Be careful.” He lifted his hand and waved before he turned around and entered the Camaro.

Melissa squeezed Stiles' hand. “It's better this way. He'll be back, but that stench...” She stopped abruptly and stared at the doors at the other end of the room. The person coming towards them was probably a surgeon. His green attire was bloodstained; he looked tired.

“Stilinski?” His voice was without emotion, but he rubbed his forehead and looked down as if he didn't want to meet Stiles' eyes. “You're father... It's your father, right?” He looked up briefly and continued without waiting for an answer. “The blood loss was, is...” He cleared his throat. “We tried to control it, and we managed to stop the bleeding, but...”

Stiles started shaking. The serious look on the guy's face was very disturbing. Melissa wrapped her arms around him and sighed heavily. “Get to the point.” She sounded strict, but there was an unmistakable tremble in her voice. The doctor turned to her. It was a flash of recognition in his eyes before he continued. “He went into cardiac arrest... We...”

The room started spinning. Stiles fell to his knees. If Melissa hadn't held on to him, he would have collapsed completely.


	30. Chapter 30

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After getting rid of the body, Chris and Derek goes their separate ways. Chris decides to share the information he has with the teenagers, and they all want to help out. In the hospital, Melissa takes care of Stiles. Derek eventually shows up, clean and fresh. He is contemplating on making a move that can change everything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, but my Original Characters are getting a little more 'screen-time'. I needed a believable antagonist in my story, and to bring it forward, I just had to. I'm not to crazy about OCs myself, but this is necessary.

As soon as they had finished the job, Chris stripped down and dived into the lake. Derek stared at him dumbfounded. A few seconds later, he came up of the water and dug through his bag. "I'm sorry, I should have told you to bring a change of clothes." He pulled on a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. "You have to get home and clean up. You probably have to disinfect your car also."

He grabbed the pile of clothes he'd left on the bank and thew them in the water. "I really liked that shirt," he said as they watched the clothes float away. "We're done. Let's go back." He turned towards Derek and repeated: "Go home and change before you meet anybody. The stench will stay with you."

They drove back in silence. Derek left Chris at the street-corner where he'd picked him up. After repeating himself again about the change of clothes, Chris took off towards his house.

Derek was actually planning on following Chris' demand, but when he sighted the hospital, he had to stop. He needed to know if Mr Stilinski was still alive, and he wanted to be with Stiles. He'd not expected to be chased away by Melissa McCall but in hindsight, he could understand her. He really did stink.

In the loft, he threw the clothes into the washing machine before he took a quick shower. He wanted to get back as soon as possible. He'd promised the sheriff to take care of his son, and even if Mrs McCall behaved like an angry lioness, she could not protect him against the threats.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Scott was doing his best to stay out of the living room, so he volunteered to get more drinks. He took his time. He'd watched 'The Notebook' before, and had no urge to watch it again. Through the first half of it, Allison and Isaac had managed to stay composed, but when Scott noticed that both of them were wiping tears out of their eyes, he'd jumped out off the couch. "I need a drink. Anybody?"

He didn't get an answer, so he just ran to the kitchen and opened the fridge to see what was in there. He just needed a distraction. Sappy love stories was not his idea of a good time.

When Chris Argent came through the door from the garage, Scott got startled. He managed to remain calm until the scent hit him. It was a faint smell of bunt flesh, but that wouldn't have caught his attention if it wasn't for the whiff of Derek hanging in the air around Chris.

"Did you kill him?" Scott didn't even mean for the words to get out, but he couldn't help it. He worried about what Stiles would do to himself if this was the truth. After the recent events, it didn't sound plausible that Chris had gone out for a quick kill. Even if the two of them weren't besties, Chris and Derek both wanted to keep the town safe. "Sorry, but I can smell him... together with..."

"Fuck it!" Chris' exclamation came out as a grunt. "No, I did not kill him. Derek helped me with something." He threw a peek into the living room. "Just go back there. It's nothing.."

Scott shook his head and reached for a coke in the fridge. "Seriously? You want me to get your daughter in here to ask what happened?" He knew that he was pushing it, but surprisingly enough Chris gave in immediately.

"Derek killed one of them. We just got rid of the body." Chris was whispering as he kept an eye on the door to the living room. "I didn't want to inform you because..." he sighed heavily, "you guys deserve to be... teenagers."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Stiles knew he was experiencing a panic-attack. He couldn't see, he couldn't hear, he couldn't feel. 'Scrub the last entry.' He could feel. He could feel his chest tightening. He could feel the ache in his heart. He could feel the hard cold floor under the palms of his hands, and he could feel that Melissa was trying to pull him up. He could also feel the stinging pain from the slap on his cheek. "Stiles, Stiles! Listen!"

Surprised to discover that his ears were working again, he turned towards the sound of Melissa's voice. She was practically screaming: "He is still alive. Listen to me!" Stiles opened his eyes. Everything was blurred. He saw a set of lips moving, but it seemed like everything was out of sync. The words coming out of her mouth didn't reach his ears fast enough.

"They revived him, He's still alive." Finally, he managed to grasp what she was saying – or rather yelling – and he calmed down somewhat. Still not able to speak, Stiles lifted his hand to his cheek. It was burning hot. Melissa must have hit hard.

He looked up at the green-clad figure next to him. The guy seemed a little distraught. He was probably not used to dealing with freaked out teenagers. He was probably not used to dealing with people at all, unless they were unconscious on the operating table.

Stiles made an honest effort to apologize, but Melissa cut him off. "It's okay." She sat down on the floor and cradled him in her arms. "He's still not in the clear, but they are doing their best."

Stiles just wanted to lay down on the floor and stare at the ceiling. It would prevent him from hurting himself when he collapsed. So his dad was alive – for now – but it could change instantly. Stiles hitched his breath when he realized that it could only take minutes before he was an orphan.

Melissa's arms were still wrapped around him. She was trying to get him on his feet, but Stiles felt perfectly fine sitting on the floor. No matter what happened, he would be safe there in her arms.

Derek's arrival didn't change that. Stiles looked up briefly and gestured for him to sit down with them. After a second of hesitation, Derek squatted next to them and reached his hand out to touch Stiles' shoulder. Stiles grabbed his wrist and pulled him in, and for an extended period of time the three of them just sat there, holding on to each other.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"He's not back yet." The man sounded slightly distressed, but then he sighed and continued with a calmer voice. "He could be in hiding, but I had expected a call." The woman on the other end got up from the extravagant leather couch, prominently placed in the huge living room. "He was... inexperienced. Could he have screwed up?"

She opened a humidor and picked up a Cuban. "I warned you about being too eager." She rolled the cigar between her thumb and forefinger before she put it back and picked another. "You should have done it yourself, but for now... we just have to wait and see."

The line was quiet for a long time, and she pressed the speaker-button before she put the phone down on the table. Then she grabbed the cigar-cutter and used it with great skill. "I'm not gonna interfere in this. I'm planning how to get the Argents. Taking out Stilinski was your job."

Benny, or was it Denny – She couldn't even remember his name – took his time answering. He was just a fresh out out the womb Alpha with serious commitment issues. After losing their leader, he'd contacted her to help them seek revenge. He was not willing to give up his status and join her pack, so she'd reluctantly agreed to help him.

She knew that if they formed a new Alpha pack, she would be the born leader. Derek Hale had tried to be a leader of a pack, but he'd screwed up majorly. The McCall guy was like a baby. He didn't even realize that he was an Alpha before Derek told him. She chuckled a little to herself as she reminisced eavesdropping on the conversation between the two.

"I'm sure it will work. Maybe he didn't get a chance yet." She startled a little when Denny – or Benny – eventually started talking again. "Yeah, maybe." She picked up the little torch she used to light a cigar. "Just get it over with. I want Stiles Stilinski out of the equation."

The tremble in her hand as she lifted it to light the cigar was not welcomed. "He's disturbing the whole deal. Take him out!" She threw the cigar back into the humidor and cursed to herself. Derek Hale had made his way under her skin. She knew perfectly well that it wasn't mutual, but if Stilinski died, things could look different.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Allison was slightly annoyed by herself. She tried to hide that she was wiping a tear out of her eye. She'd participated in choosing the movie – she really liked it – but she'd thought she'd be able to compose herself. She' done well until Isaac started sniffling next to her. After throwing a peek at Scott, she realized that he was not into the movie at all. Shortly after, he made a lame excuse to leave the room.

Allison contemplated on following him, but when Lydia grabbed her arm and sobbed rather loudly against her shoulder, she stayed put.

A few minutes later, she noticed that Isaac straightened himself up a bit. She gave him a quick glance and could see that he had his head cocked, as if he was listening for something. His eyes were fixed on the kitchen door, but when he noticed that Allison saw him, he turned to her immediately. "What," she whispered, earning a slap from Lydia. "Shush."

Isaac shrugged a little and turned back to the screen. "Nothing. It's nothing." He sighed and shifted a little in his seat. Allison noticed that he seemed a bit antsy, and she knew he'd heard something. She shook herself loose from Lydia's grip and got up. Isaac was obviously about to stop her, reaching a hand out for her, but then he just sighed and leaned back against the cushions on the couch.

When Allison entered the kitchen, her dad startled visibly, but he composed himself fast. She measured him and wondered about his outfit. "What's going on? Have you been out?"He looked down at himself and gave her a lopsided smile. "Yeah, uh, no." She could see that he threw a quick peek at Scott before he shook his head. "Just took the trash out." Then he vigorously scratched the back of his head. "Just finish the movie, I have to make a couple of calls." He started to walk away, but Allison grabbed his shoulder. "There's something you're not telling me."

Chris turned to her and nodded hesitantly. "Yes, there is. I'll be back to fill you in, but just finish the movie. I'll be back."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Stiles was curled up in that little couch with Derek's arms wrapped around him. Melissa had left them for a moment to check what went on with Mr Stilinski. It had been almost two hours since the surgeon – or whatever he was – had been there. Not that Stiles had payed any attention to the time, but Melissa obviously had. She'd reminded them about it before she left. "It's been too long, I'm gonna find out."

She had been sitting next to Stiles, holding his hand. Before she got up she'd pushed him further into Derek's embrace. "If he, I mean... uh. He's probably still alive, or else we would have been informed." She'd given Stiles a pat on the thigh. "Hang in there. Have hope."

Derek and Stiles hadn't exchanged many words during the time they had been sitting there. Stiles had noticed that Derek had been reluctant to talk about the incident, but he'd made it clear that he'd take full responsibility for it. Personally, Stiles wasn't in any shape to hand out blame, but could understand what Derek was thinking.

He lifted his head and looked up at Derek. "It wasn't your fault. Don't even think that." Stiles wiped a lingering tear off his cheek. "You couldn't know..." He stopped when he felt Derek shifting a little in his seat as if he was about to get up. He held on to Derek's arm to prevent it.

"It could have been you. He was after you." Derek ripped himself loose from the grip and covered his face with his hands, leaning his elbows on his knees. "I had one task. It was to keep you safe. I didn't even manage that." He sighed heavily. "Scott would have done a better job, I'm sure."

Stiles got a little thrown by the defeat in Derek's voice. He leaned forward a little and put his hand on Derek's thigh. "I am safe. I feel safe with you. What happened was just... Dad wasn't... He was drunk, he made a mistake. Who could have known?"

Derek got up abruptly and clenched his fists. "I should have known. I should have sensed it. If I hadn't been that careless, I would have known that someone was out there." He paced a little before he turned to Stiles and repeated. "I had one task." He shook his head and ran his fingers through his hair. "I don't know how many they are, or how strong they are. They want me in their pack. Maybe it's better..."

When Stiles realized what Derek was getting at, he jumped up from the couch and grabbed on to Derek's shoulders. "Don't say that. You don't want that. I don't want that." Gently, Derek pushed Stiles away. "I can make them promise not to hurt you. I can join them on that condition. If I can't protect you, I have to stay away from you."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

When Chris came back to the living room, the four teenagers stared at him in anticipation. Even if they didn't say anything or made any sound, the atmosphere in there reeked of excitement and joy. He didn't know how to break the bad news to them. They probably thought he was going to tell them about a win. That Derek had taken out one of the remaining Alphas could have been a good thing, if it wasn't for the horrible foreplay to it.

He sighed heavily and spent a few seconds putting on a grave face, so they would understand that this was not a joyous event. It worked. He could see their faces – recently sporting a ghost of a smile – almost instantly got a concerned expression. Allison was about to say something, but Chris waved his hand to stop her.

After calling the hospital without getting any information, he'd tried both Stiles and Derek. None of them answered their phones, so he had no idea how Mr Stilinski was doing at the moment. According to Derek, the attack had been pretty bad, and possibly fatal. He wanted to give these kids hope, so Chris decided to not go to far into that. He took another moment before he cleared his throat and got started.

"There has been a, an... attack." Chris watched the four of them as their jaws dropped. They also seemed to be holding their breaths. He didn't want them to suffocate so he continued. "Sheriff Stilinski is in the hospital. He's seriously injured. We know... NO, we assume they were after Stiles." He had to take a breath, and was afraid that the kids would interfere. They didn't.

"Derek managed to overpower the guy." Chris looked up when he noticed that Allison leaned forward, obviously about to say something, and he shook his head. The girl understood and sat back again. "He, uh, Derek believes that there's another Alpha running the show. This guy was a rookie. Either that, or he was just incredibly stupid."

Chris didn't even get a chance to draw his breath before the 'crowd' in front of him started asking questions. "Where did this happen?" "Are there more of them?" "Is Stiles alright?" "How's the sheriff doing?"

He waved his hand in front of him to stop them. "It happened at the Stilinski house. Stiles is... okay, sort of. His dad is injured, seriously injured, go figure." He paused for a second. "Derek is pretty sure there has to be at least one more Alpha out there. One we haven't met yet."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

The scene was seemingly blissful. Six people were gathered in the room. The french doors leading to a marbled-floor patio were wide open and the curtains moved slightly from the mild summer breeze. A young girl was playing Beethoven's 'Für Elise' on the white grand-piano. Her identical twin stood behind her, braiding her hair.

On a small table next to the doors, a half smoked cigar lied abandoned in an ashtray. Two young men sat on the floor next to a leather couch. One of them was massaging the foot of a slightly older woman sitting on the couch.

The woman snapped her fingers and almost instantly, another young man pushed away from the bar and walked over to her with a glass of wine. The deep red liquid seemed to light up with an almost ghostly glow as the sun's rays hit the crystal glass.

After she'd taken a small sip, she gave the guy an almost invisible nod. For anyone paying attention, the relief painted on his face would have been obvious. He took a few steps backwards before he turned and walked back to the bar.

The sound from the piano was flowing through the room. Everybody in there seemed to be indulged in the music. Suddenly, a penetrating sound from an incoming call disturbed the peace. As if on cue, the three young men turned towards the cellphone lying on the table next to the couch. The girl stopped playing for a second, but then she continued with a softer touch to the keys.

One of the young men on the floor was closer, and grabbed the phone before he handed it to the woman. She looked at the screen and with a smirk, she pressed the answer button. "What a surprise. I didn't expect this." Everybody in the room got surprised when she giggled a little shyly.

The person on the other end was obviously talking, and what he or she said seemed to be pleasing. The woman got up from the couch and was followed by five sets of eyes as she walked towards the patio. "You want my help? Oh, Derek. I don't know if I can."

When they realized who she was talking to, the five youngsters reacted instantly. The two girls smiled brightly and nodded in unison, while the guys all sported disgruntled expressions on their faces.

"I'll think about it, but you have to stop fraternizing with those humans." Hester took a sip from her glass as she listened to Derek's reply. Then she sighed heavily. "If it's that important to you, I will try to help you keep this Stiles-character safe, but you have to realize that he's not right for you. You have to let him go."


	31. Chapter 31

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Well, the sheriff is responding to the treatment. Derek is missing. You will learn where he is, but not why he's not answering his phone. I will try to udate soon. This chapter doesn't really bring much news.

After Mr Argent had told them all he knew, they had wanted to go to the hospital and be with Stiles. Chris didn't think that was a good idea, and after Scott received a call from his mom, they resigned. Melissa had told him that both she and Derek were there, and that Stiles was taken care of so there was no need to make more drama by showing up.

Chris made a decision for all of them. "None of you should have to be alone tonight. You can all stay. We are stronger in numbers." Lydia wasn't sure if she could, but she eventually called home to ask her parents if it was okay if she spent the night in the Argent house.

It had ended up with all of them bunked up in Allison's room. Chris tried to make an argument that the boys could stay in the guest room, but he hadn't even finished a sentence before Allison broke him off. "Seriously? What do you think we're gonna do? Get drunk and have an orgy?"

For a moment, he looked like he wanted to slap his daughter, but then he gave out a humorless chuckle. "Okay, Okay! I see your point, but please keep it down and try to get some sleep."

They did manage to keep it down somewhat, but they didn't fall asleep until the morning sun sent it's rays over the rooftops.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

The night in the hospital had been traumatic, but there seemed to be light at the end of the tunnel. When Melissa came back from her little research round, she could tell them that the surgery was over, and the sheriff was currently in the ICU. She'd told them to keep the hope alive, but that Mr Stilinski wasn't completely out of the woods.

Eventually, a nurse came to tell them that Stiles could see him, and she didn't even blink when both Derek and Melissa tagged along.

Stiles almost collapsed when he saw his dad in the hospital bed. Tubes and cords were sticking out from everywhere, and he had an oxygen mask covering most of his face. Derek did his best to keep Stiles on his feet, and managed to move him over to a chair next to the bed.

While Melissa and Derek were watching, Stiles grabbed his dad's hand and stared at the motionless figure on the bed. "I'm here. Please don't die. I need you." He squeezed his dad's fingers as to urge him to wake up. When there was no response, he leaned his head on the bed and cried silently.

It was a long night. Melissa had managed to find a couple more chairs so she and Derek could sit. It could seem like Stiles was about to doze off, but ever so often, he sniffled a little. He also lifted his head from time to time to look at his dad's face.

The heart-monitor emitted a steady beep, and the respirator was huffing in the corner. Ever so often, a nurse or a doctor came to check on the sheriff, but none of them exchanged a single word with his visitors. Melissa had snuck out at one time to get something to drink and to use the restroom.

The window was covered with blinds, but a thin ray from the morning sun managed to make it's way through a small crack. Stiles sat up and sighed heavily. "I don't want to leave him, but I need to pee." He struggled to his feet and Derek rushed over to help him. He wiped his eyes and leaned into Derek's chest. "Can you watch him for me? Just for a moment."

Derek nodded and gave Stiles a kiss on the forehead. "Of Course." Stiles took a couple of steps towards the door, but had to grab on to the foot of the bed to keep himself upright. Melissa hurried to assist him. She turned to Derek briefly. "I got this." Then she wrapped her arm around Stiles. "I'll show you the way."

A few seconds after Stiles and Melissa had left, Derek heard a moan from the bed. He watched as the sheriff's eyelids trembled a little before he opened his eyes a crack. He looked confused and he tried to lift his hand to his face. His jaw moved a little as if he was trying to speak, so Derek lifted the oxygen mask, before he leaned in to listen.

"Stiles? Where is..." Mr Stilinski's voice was barely audible, and he was clearly exhausted from the couple of words he managed to get out. Derek tried to catch his eyes. "Stiles is fine. He'll be here in a few minutes." The sheriff opened his eyes wider and stared at Derek. "You? Are you...? Please protect him." It looked like he was about to pass out again, but then he focused on Derek's face once more. "At any cost, protect him from harm."

Derek drew his breath. "I promise." The sheriff didn't respond, and it seemed like he was out again. He waited to see if the guy would make another attempt to speak before he lowered the mask again. Moments later, Stiles and Melissa came back.

He wasn't sure if he should tell them that Mr Stilinski had been awake for a few seconds. Stiles would be so disappointed and sad when he realized he'd missed it, so Derek decided to share it with Melissa – or another nurse – later.

Stiles was seated in the chair again, clenching his dad's hand. Derek and Melissa assumed their previous spots by the door. For another couple of hours, nothing happened. Well, something happened. The doctors' visit happened. They seemed to be pleased with the situation and they asked if Mr Stilinski had been awake at any time. Derek decided not to say anything yet. He got up and scooted backwards. "I need to, uh..." He gestured towards the door hoping that Stiles would think he needed to use the restroom.

After pacing a little outside the room he made a decision. Digging through his pockets to find the phone, he wasn't sure if it was doing the right thing, but he had to try. He noticed a missed call from Chris, but disregarded it. It was made almost twelve hours ago, so a few more wouldn't matter.

He dialed Hester's number and waited for her to pick up. He pretty much knew how she'd respond, but the main goal now was to protect his mate, regardless. Derek was even willing to let Stiles go if it could save his life.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

They all woke up from Scott's phone ringing. He had forgot where he was and he reached his hand out to grab it from where he normally would find a nightstand. Suddenly, he got a pair of pants thrown in his face. "It's in your pocket." Isaac sounded annoyed, and he then covered his head with the pillow.

Scott dug out the phone, and answered without looking at who was calling. He sat up abruptly when he realized it was his mom. "Mom, what's going on? How's Stiles?" The three other teenagers in the room peeked up and stared at him curiously. They were clearly just as eager to know as well.

"Stiles is... fine. We need to get him out of here. He haven't slept all night." Melissa sighed and continued. "I have to start my shift, and Derek volunteered to be here with the sheriff."

Scott wasn't sure how to respond. "Uh, eh, what about you? Did you get any sleep?" He threw it out as he thought about how to keep Stiles safe and with his sanity intact. "No Dear, not much, but it'll be okay." Melissa actually yawned on the other end. "Can you come and get him? Derek claims you are the only one that can possibly protect Stiles."

He was already up and about to find his clothes, before he hung up. "I have to go to the hospital and get Stiles. Can you take me?" He looked at Allison as he buttoned his pants, and reached for the shirt. She reacted instantly and jumped out of bed.

Lydia and Isaac looked at each other. "What about us?" Lydia frowned a little. "We..." She threw another glance at Isaac. "We want to help out too."

Wanting to get out of there as soon as possible, Scott looked at the both of them. "Hang in there, I'll call, we'll call. Maybe we can all go over to Stiles and keep him company. I'll find out." He didn't wait for them to respond, he just grabbed Allison's hand and pulled her out of the room.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Stiles didn't want to leave, but he could understand Melissa and Derek's point of view. He knew he needed sleep, and would have been fine dozing off in a chair. When Derek promised to call with any and all news, he started to really miss a bed.

As soon as he was inside the door at home, he went straight to his room. He knew that Scott would stay and he didn't care if Allison did too. He fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

He didn't know what time it was when he woke up, but he felt surprisingly rested. He could hear faint whispers from downstairs. Lying there listening, he wished he had wolf-hearing. Not that he wanted to be a werewolf; he was just curious about who was there.

He wondered what went on at the hospital also, and decided to get up anyway so he could get to his dad as soon as possible. In the hall, he could hear Isaac's voice together with Lydia's high pitch giggle. Surprised by this fact he leaned over the banister. "Hey, who's there? Where's Scott?"

Within a split second, Scott stood at the bottom of the stairs. "I'm here, I was in the kitchen. How are you doing? You want to go to the hospital now?" Stiles stared at Scott for a moment, then he cocked his brow. "Seriously?! Of course I want to go! But first, I really, really, really need a shower!"

Less than twenty minutes later, he and Scott left in Allison's car, making Issac promise to keep the girls safe. Allison responded with a frown – which was expected.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Chris was actually satisfied with telling everything to the kids. Well, he hadn't told them everything, but enough to feel that there were no significant secrets hidden. He had tried to not mention the list, but unfortunately, Isaac already knew about it. Chris had been somewhat surprised when the boy suddenly asked about it. As it turned out, he didn't know anything about the second list and there was no need to mention it now.

They had all decided to meet up the next evening to make a plan on how to protect everybody. In the mean time, they all needed to sleep and to pray for Mr Stilinski to survive.

He woke up early, and didn't want to wake the teenagers. He'd tried to call Derek once more without success. When Scott and Allison left to get Stiles, they agreed that the two of them should stay at the Stilinski house as long as Stiles was there.

Eventually, Isaac and Lydia left and shortly after that, Derek finally called back. "I'm at the hospital. The sheriff is still not in the clear, but there is hope." He took a deep breath. "Mrs McCall can probably explain it better."

Chris was happy that Mr Stilinski had made it through the night, which probably was a good thing. "Is Stiles there now? Or Scott?" He hadn't heard a word from the youngsters since they left. Derek was about to say something "They...", he seemed to hold his breath for a moment. "I think... it was nothing. I thought he was waking up." After a few seconds of silence, Derek continued. "Scott and Stiles are on their way and I have to leave for a little while." He paused for a second. "I think I have to get hold of someone. It looks like..." He gasped, "Mr Stilinski!"

The line went dead, and Chris hoped it was a positive event that caused it. He hurried to send a text. "Keep me posted."

It took almost an hour before he got a reply. "No change in the sheriff's condition. I have to leave town for a few hours. I'll call later."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Stiles was not prepared for what happened at the hospital. As he and Scott approached the room his dad was in, a couple of people passed them and ran into the room. Seconds later, Derek came out and as soon as he saw them, he gestured for Stiles to relax. "It's okay. He is... sort of awake."

Stiles tried to reach the door, but Derek held him back. "Let them check on him. He is not very lucid. Give them a minute." He gave Scott a quick nod. "I have to go. I..." Stiles put a finger to Derek's lips. "I see. You've been here for a long time. I appreciate it. If you need to go home and sleep or something. I understand. Scott is here. We'll be fine." He drew his breath quickly. "Just come back soon. Now, I have my phone. Call me."

Stiles knew perfectly well that he was ranting, but he was a little nervous; thinking back, he couldn't remember taking his medication. He wrapped his arms around Derek and held on for a moment. "Thank you. So much." When he felt Derek's soothing hand on his back, Stiles could have stayed like that forever.

Derek pulled back a little and looked at him with his head cocked. He seemed sad, and Stiles wondered if he knew more than he'd said. "It's okay, right? He... it's not bad? I mean, what's going on in there." Stiles nodded towards the room. Derek shook his head. It looked like he tried to smile, but it was clearly fake. "I don't know more than you." Suddenly, he pulled Stiles back in and squeezed him tight. "I have to go." He whispered as he planted a quick kiss on Stiles' temple.

Watching Derek walk away down the hall, Stiles wondered a little. Derek had behaved rather odd. He didn't get a chance to contemplate on it, before a nurse came out of the room to fill them in.

"He is responding to the treatment, but it's still to early to say how it will go. We don't know if he suffered any brain-damage, but we think not. He is talking, but it's hard to make sense of it at the moment." She drew her breath quickly. "One thing is clear though. He's asking for Stiles, I guess that's you."

-o-o-o-o-

Chris called Derek again, but the guy still didn't pick up. The phone was not dead or anything, because it kept ringing, so Derek must have left it somewhere or lost it. Eventually he would probably be back to check on Stiles and the sheriff, but it had been five hours since he left, so Chris started to worry a little.

They were going to have a meeting on how to proceed, and Derek could have some new information. He had mentioned that he believed there were another Alpha running the show, and maybe he had an idea who it could be.

Stiles didn't want to leave his dad's bedside, so Melissa had organized for them to use a small meeting-room at the hospital. Standing in the hall next to the main entrance with Isaac and Allison, Chris tried to call Derek once more.

He didn't want to show the teenagers that he was concerned so he stepped away, as he for the sixth time waited for Derek to pick up.

Was it possible that the guy had just taken off? Could he have been fed up with it all, and decided to go back to being sort of a recluse. The moment the thought entered his mind, Chris shook his head. Derek was too involved in this to just skip town. And if it was true that he had a special connection with Stiles, he wouldn't just leave.

There were of course other scenarios he could think of. Derek could be dead. He could have been attacked and mauled. After staying awake for more than 24 hours, he could have been weakened and less alert.

If Derek didn't show up soon, Chris would have to find some excuse for it. He didn't want anybody else to start worrying. Later, he could try to track him himself. If his phone was still on, it should be possible to find his location. Chris had a few tricks up his sleeve.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

The trip took about an hour, and Derek figured that if this worked out to his advantage, he'd be back with Stiles before nightfall.

He didn't have high hopes, but knew he had to try. If Hester could help them track those Alphas, the threat would be out of the way, and everybody could live happily ever after. Her pack was strong. The two betas were young, but had been in training since they were toddlers.

The boys were more unpredictable. Derek didn't know them too well. They hadn't been werewolves for that long; they hadn't been born into this like him and Hester.

It had been a while since he'd been at her house. Calling it a house didn't really do it justice; it was more like a mansion. He parked his car next to a Mercedes convertible, and stopped for a moment to admire the vehicle.

As he walked up to the door, Derek heard voices from the side of the house. He knew it had a big patio on that side, and figured that the residents were outside enjoying the nice weather. Hester knew he was on his way, so instead of ringing the doorbell, he just rounded the corner to see if she was there.


	32. Chapter 32

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Derek is getting in over his head. He is trying his best to cope with the new development. Isaac has an epiphany. Among other things, it leads to a new injury for Stiles. We learn more about Hester. They catch a werewolf, but he's not talking. A plan develops. Allison plays a big part. If you pay attention you'll understand what it's all about. She makes her dad proud.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A couple of weeks after episode 3.23 I came to a conclusion. I can not kill a major character even if they did. My fic is not very canonical in the first place, so it doesn't really matter. I decided to make her some kind of hero. I want to give my Allison a hero-status. How that is going to go I'm not quite sure of yet, but I have some ideas. Sterek will still be there, but this story lives it's own life. New and surprising developments will follow. Han in there.
> 
> Enough said. Hope you guys will enjoy chapter 32. The longest so far.

As he walked up the path to the patio, Derek instantly recognized the man sitting on the lounge chair by the door. The memory of Stiles getting thrown to the wall flashed before his eyes. The urge to attack was overwhelming, but he managed to brace himself.

He wondered if Hester was aware of this, or if it was just a coincidence that the guy was here. He got his answer seconds later as Hester emerged. “I guess you two have met before, but you were never formally introduced to each other.” She took a few steps forward, and reach her hand out to Derek. He didn't take it.

He knew he'd been fooled, and could feel the claws coming out. Hester and her family had been friends of the Hales for decades. They hadn't really mingled much, but there had always been an understanding between the families about supporting each other. He knew that they were filthy rich, and that they had a strict policy of not mixing with humans on a regular basis. None of them had ever set foot in a public school. Hester herself had been home-schooled until she was sent to a relative in Europe to attend a prestigious private school in France at the age of ten.

Her older brother had been destined to inherit the pack, but was shunned by the family after impregnating a human. The girl had been payed off, and the twin girls she gave birth to had been turned before they reached their fourth birthday.

Hester had suddenly become the sole heir. Not only as a leader of the pack, but also to a small real estate empire. After her parents died, she'd raised the twins as her own, turning them into spoiled brats.

There was a rumor going around that her brother was killed by hunters a few years back. His remains were never found, but according to the stories, Hester had proof. If the tale was true, she also knew who killed him.

"Benjamin, Ben, this is Derek, Derek Hale, but you already knew that, didn't you?" She smirked as she turned to him. Derek knew he wouldn't stand a chance in combat with the two of them. He also knew that there was at least five more werewolves in the house, so he decided to withdraw from the scene.

“I made a mistake. Forget it.” He didn't even manage to take a step backwards before Hester was at his side. She grabbed onto his arm, and leaned her head on his shoulder. “Oh, you silly man. You think you have a choice?”

He tried to come loose, but gave up. He would have managed, but he was pretty sure she wanted him alive, so he decided to play it by ear until he could leave.

“I know you have enough money to support yourself, but wouldn't it be nice to have a decent home?” Hester chuckled a little as she led Derek up the few steps to the patio. “I mean, something better than that dingy loft.”

She gestured towards a chair and urged Derek to sit. “If you join us, I'll make sure you won't miss anything. My girls love you. Any one of them would be happy to be your mate.” She scoffed and gave him a lopsided smile. “They wouldn't even care if they had to share you.”

Derek turned away in disgust. “Seriously. I expected more class here. I thought pimping was beneath you.” He was actually quite abhorred by this. Hester chuckled. “No, don't get me wrong. They asked for this, but of course, if your tired of the young ones, I'll be more than happy to keep you warm at night.”

With a sigh, she continued. “Unless... If you prefer guys, I'll see what I can do.”

He didn't want to be there anymore. This just freaked him out too much. “Hester, please! I made a mistake. I don't need your help.” He tried to get up from the chair, but she pushed him back. “Not so fast.” After exchanging a quick glance with Ben, she continued. “Ben wants you dead. He wants Stiles Stilinski dead, but he is willing to give it up if you join us.”

Derek looked at her and recollected a childhood memory. He and his sisters watching 'Snow White'. The evil queen could easily have been replaced by Hester. 'The fairest of them all' was also the most wicked and conniving bitch he'd ever come across.

“This is the only way, Derek.” She shrugged and took a step back. “Let me get you a drink. You need to relax.”

For a minute, Derek was left alone with that Ben-character, and he contemplated on either attacking or making a run for it. He didn't get a chance to decide before Hester was at his side again. She handed him a glass of wine, and lifted her own in a silent toast. “What do you say? At least say you'll think about it.” She smiled and nodded towards the glass in his hand.

Derek shook his head. “No, Hester. I can't. I thought of you as a friend, but...” He lifted the glass to his lips and chugged down the wine, before he got up from his seat. “I'm going to leave...” The pain was excruciating. Before he knew it, he was curled up on the ground feeling the urge to rip his own throat out. “Why?” He croaked out before he passed out.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Scott and Stiles were still sitting with Mr Stilinski, and Isaac volunteered to get them. He knew what part of the hospital they were in, but he didn't know the room number. He didn't bother to go back and ask, so he tried to sniff them out. 

As he walked down the hall, pausing for a second outside every room, a male nurse or nurse's assistant bumped into him as he passed. Isaac heard a faint: 'sorry', before the guy entered a room a few doors down. Seconds later, he came out again. He startled a little when he almost ran into Isaac again, but then he hurried to look at the papers he was carrying before he turned and walked the other way.

There was something familiar about the guy, but Isaac was unable to remember where he'd seen him before. Probably in town; maybe he'd even been a student at Beacon Hills High at some point in time.

Isaac drew his breath through his nose. He had to get back on track. He immediately caught the scent of Scott, and was surprised to discover that it came from the room the nurse just exited. He went inside and after processing the scene – seeing the sheriff like that was disturbing – he told Scott and Stiles to come.

It took a while to get Stiles to join them, and Scott had to call his mom to get her to convince him that it was okay. She checked the sheriff and could tell them that he was now sleeping soundly. She also reminded Stiles that he was being monitored at all times, and that any change in his condition would alert the staff.

As soon as they had met up with the Argents again, Chris led them to the meeting-room. Stiles asked for Derek, and Isaac noticed that Chris seemed a little uncomfortable. “He's doing some research, I'm sure he'll be here soon.” Chris looked away as he spoke, and Isaac sensed that he wasn't completely truthful.

“We have to talk about the list.” Chris started talking before they were all seated, and everybody turned to him. “Derek is next, but we don't know if it is a hit-list or if they want him in their pack.” He paused for a second. “Personally I think it's a mix of both. If they can't convince him to join, he will be the next target.” He shifted his gaze between Scott and Isaac. “And then there's you two.”

Isaac had found a chair and slumped down. “I'm not an Alpha, why would they want me?” He rolled his eyes. “It would be just to have someone around to do their dirty-work.” He was about to giggle a little when it hit him. He knew where he'd seen that guy before. He jumped out of his seat and panned the room. “They're here. It was a werewolf.”

He rushed to the door, waving for the others to follow. “We met him at Derek's, with, uh, Heather, no, Hester. He was in Mr Stilinski's room.”

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Of course Hester had a dungeon. Unlike the basement where he had been held by Kate, this one was quite classy, if you liked that sort of thing. Derek could easily have enjoyed the surroundings from a different point of view. At the moment he was caged in, in some kind of kennel. The iron bars were thick as a finger and set so close to each other that he couldn't even get his arm between them. It would be almost impossible to break out.

Whatever poison she'd had in the wine was wearing off, but he was still not completely back to normal. He felt stupid. Hester had given him the wine before he had actually turned her down. He wondered if she would have stopped him from drinking it if he'd told her he'd think about joining them, or if the outcome was planned already.

And then he drank it all in one big gulp, making it even worse. Derek clenched his fists until he had his own claws dug deep into the palms of his hands. Crying over his own misfortune was not in his nature, but he felt like crying for Stiles. Stiles was waiting for him to come back and comfort him. At the moment, the danger was even more grave than before.

Derek just hoped that Scott would be there for Stiles, and protect him. He didn't know if Hester and her pack would go after Stiles now, or if she was going to use him as a bargaining-chip. He could only hope for the latter.

A sound turned his attention to a staircase at the other end of the room. The basement was dark, but a small stream of light came from upstairs, and he could see the outline of a man standing there watching him. It was probably one of Hester's young protege's sent out to keep an eye on him.

Derek growled and bared his teeth, making the guy jump. It pleased Derek in an odd way, but at the same time, he felt embarrassed about acting like that. He scooted back to the far corner of the cage and tried to relax. There was nothing else to do than wait and see what would happen.

“The girls are fighting over you. You are threatening the stability of the pack.” Derek startled a little when the young man spoke, but chose not to comment. “I wish you were dead. I wish I could kill you now.” The sincerity in the omega's voice could not be misconstrued. Derek looked at him. “And why don't you. I'm a sitting duck. I can't fight back. You clearly have the upper hand.”

He could see that the guy shook his head. “I have my orders, unfortunately.” He turned around and put his foot on the bottom step of the stair. “But if you ruin my chances of bettering my status in this pack, you should watch your back.” His eyes lit up with an orange glow for a second, before he walked up the stairs and disappeared.

-o-o-o-o-

Stiles felt the taste of blood in his mouth as he ran down the hall. Every step he took was excruciatingly painful, but he managed to push it away. Scott and Isaac were way ahead of him, and he hoped that they would make it there in time. He didn't know what to expect, but he feared the worse.

Allison and Chris were running next to him and he could see that they wanted to go faster, but even if he wanted to, it wasn't possible. As he turned into the hallway where his dad's room was, he tripped and stumbled forward. He felt Allison's hand on his back, as if she tried to grab him, but she didn't manage to prevent that he landed face first on the floor.

He almost passed out from the pain. The sprained ankle he suffered in the garage was not that serious, and it was nothing compared to this. He's arms had taken most of his weight, and he wondered if he'd sprained his wrist also. Chris yelled for Allison to help him, as the man continued down the hall and entered Mr Stilinski's room.

With tears welling up in his eyes from the pain, he held on to his ankle as he kept an eye on the door a few meters down the hall. Allison tried to help him up, but there was no way he could stand on his foot.

It took forever for the guys to come out, and Stiles feared that they had come too late. Suddenly, Isaac peeked out and panned the hallway before he disappeared again. Shortly after that, Melissa came from the other end of the hall pushing an empty wheelchair.

She noticed Stiles on the floor and her eyes widened a little, but then she just continued in to the room. They could hear a little bit of a commotion from there before Melissa came out again. The wheelchair was no occupied by a young man. He was semi-conscious, and he was wearing a nurse's uniform.

Before Stiles got a chance to ask what had happened, Scott came over and lifted him from the floor. “I guess you need a doctor. Again!” He smiled and carried Stiles the rest of the way to his dad's room. “I'll stay here with you. Mom will come back with a doctor.” Scott sat down and sighed heavily. “I don't think he was here to kill him. I think they wanted to warn us.”

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

The guy was clearly just an omega, but he had a stamina that could make anyone a little jealous. Chris had brought the guy they captured in the hospital to the basement under the Hale-house. So far, he hadn't said a word.

Allison and Isaac had kept out of the way as Chris used some of the equipment Kate had left behind. The only thing he had accomplished so far was to make the guy scream in pain a couple of times.

“Why don't we just kill him? He's not gonna talk.” Isaac was obviously fed up with the whole deal. “Maybe he doesn't even know anything.” He stepped forward and bared his teeth. The omega didn't even flinch.

Chris gave it a thought before he dug his hand into his pocket and fished out the note. “Because of this.” He held it up in front of Isaac's face and could see that the boy got the picture. “He has to know something. This was a warning.”

When Chris came into Mr Stilinski's hospital room, the omega was busy trying to fend off Isaac and Scott. That they didn't kill him there and then, was probably because they were interested in knowing what the guy was doing there in the first place.

The two werewolves had been too busy to notice the piece of paper on the floor. When Chris came in, he'd managed to give the guy a Wolfsbane injection, causing him to collapse.

Scott had taken charge and called Mrs McCall, while Isaac made sure that the sheriff was okay. In the meantime, Chris bent down to pick up the note. He'd was pretty sure he knew what kind of note this was. It looked like one of those lists Derek had told him about. Only on this one, 'Hale' had a cross next to it also.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

“Who was that?” Stiles looked up at Scott while he did his best to not pass out from the pain. “He could have...” He sniffled a little. “Do we know him?” When Scott didn't answer, Stiles turned to his friend and repeated the question in a more demanding way. “DO WE KNOW HIM?”

Scott seemed to think about it for a moment, before he squatted in front of Stiles. “I'm trying to remember, but...” He sighed. “Isaac recognized him as one of Hester's pack. You remember her, right?” Stiles got a little tense when Scott mentioned her name.

He did remember her. He remembered how she'd been practically glued to Derek's side at that infamous party. He remembered how she frowned when she realized that Derek was hanging out with humans. More than anything, he remembered that Derek had thrown everybody out when Joy flirted with Stiles. It was after that party that he and Derek kind of found each other again.

He knew there had been a couple of young men with her, but Stiles had been too busy keeping an eye on Derek to really notice them. “That bitch! Is she behind this? If so, we have a problem.”

They didn't get a chance to talk about it anymore, because Melissa came through the door with a doctor in tow. “Here he is. He stumbled and fell, can you check it out. He really wants to stay here with his dad.”

The doctor examined his foot, and Stiles wasn't quite sure, but he thought he passed out for a second during the examination. “I think it's just a serious sprain, but you need an x-ray.” The doctor got up and turned to Melissa. “It's late, we can do it in the morning. I'll get some pain medication for him.”

As soon as the guy had left the room, Stiles turned to Scott. “Derek needs to know. He think that she's his friend.” He searched through his pockets to find the phone. “I'll call him. He should have been here by now.”

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

It was really quite comfortable in the cage. The floor was made of soft fabric, with possibly some foam rubber underneath. It wasn't the best sleeping quarters he'd been in, but when he curled up a bit, Derek managed to lie there without feeling any of the iron bars against his skin.

He decided that the best course of action was to get his strength back, so trying to get some sleep was important. The dungeon in itself had a decent temperature, so even without a blanket, he didn't feel cold.

He'd made his decision. He knew what to do. From now on it was just a waiting game. He knew that Hester had fancied him since he started to buff up in his late teens. Now, he could use that to his own advantage. She was almost ten years older, but it didn't seem to matter to her.

Derek had never looked at her as anything else than a family friend, albeit her stunning beauty. He had however noticed the stares she'd sent him, and lately the obvious flirtation.

In his younger years he'd been slightly intimidated by the wealth her family possessed, but her parents had always behaved like it didn't matter. They had still made it perfectly clear that they didn't want to mingle with humans.

Hester's brother had always been more drawn to normal human life, and that had ended pretty badly for him. He was just a beta when he fathered the twins, and when he got the choice of killing the mother or leaving the family, he chose the latter. Nobody ever heard from him since. When tragedy struck and Hester's parents got killed in a plane crash, she'd taken over as head of the family.

Nobody knew how she'd required the Alpha status, but she carried it as a natural. The twins were already in training to be spoiled rotten, and Derek had always resented them. If he was forced to pretend to take one of them as his mate, it would be kind of tricky, but he had a plan to get out of this. 

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

He was chained to a chair, and he could hear that they locked the door behind them when they left. The omega chuckled a little. These guys clearly didn't know what they were doing. A simple wooden chair – even if it was bolted to the floor – couldn't hold a werewolf.

After wiggling for a while, he managed to rock the chair a little, and shortly after it started to give in. He had to keep at it for another fifteen minutes before the chair broke under him. The cuffs around his wrists were impossible to loosen, so he wrapped the chains around his arms before he walked up to the door. It was old and dingy, but the lock must have recently been changed. It was still no challenge for him to get it open. Pretty sure that they had all left, believing he was secured, the omega smiled to himself. They would be in for a surprise in the morning.

It was slightly annoying having to carry all that chain, but it wasn't a big deal. He was strong and fast and if he could get to the hospital and retrieve the car, he'd be home in a couple of hours. He didn't notice the orange flash far behind him as he ran through the woods.

He panned the parking lot. There were only a few cars there. A girl was leaning on one of them seemingly waiting for someone. He snuck over to his own car, and just as he was about to get in, the girl came up to him. “I'm sorry, can you help me?” She stared at him with big pleading eyes. “I, my car key...” She gestured towards a car she'd been next to moments ago. “I dropped it on the ground and accidentally kicked it under there.”

He wanted to take off, but it would only take a second to help her. In the darkness, she didn't seem to notice that he had chains wrapped around his wrists. He got down on his hands and knees and reached under the car. It was almost bizarre how the key had landed right in the middle. He managed to reach it anyway, and then he got up and handed it to the girl. He panned the dark parking lot again. As he was about to walk back to his own car, he turned to her. “You shouldn't be out here alone, you don't know what kind of predators you can meet.”

He didn't notice the smirk on the girls face, and he didn't notice the tall lanky character sneaking away from the parking lot in the other direction. He didn't notice a lot of things. He was just a little bit too cocky about his accomplishments to pay attention to the surroundings.


	33. Chapter 33

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lydia is excited and embraces her role as a con-artist. The Sheriff's condition is improving, but Stiles is a mess. Allison tries to comfort him, but she knows that she's a poor substitute. Chris Scott and Isaac are out on a hunt and makes a startling discovery. Hester reveals part of her plan to Derek, and he tries to cope as best as he can.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I found it extremely curious that there were no police on the scene when the ambulance arrived at the Stilinski-house. Maybe someone else got a little puzzle by this? I feel the need to explain. And for those of you who thought it was Derek that escaped at the end of ch32: I'm sorry, but I wanted it to be a little unclear.

Lydia was overly excited when she met up with Isaac and Allison on the other side of the hospital. She gestured for them to get in the car. "That was a thrill. Did you make it, Isaac?" She chuckled as she pulled away from the curb and headed for the Argent house. She looked at Isaac through the rear view mirror as he nodded. "Sure did. You are quite the actor."

When Allison called her to do them this favor, she'd been ready in a moment. She knew that she could pull it off. Knowing that Allison was ready to send an arrow through the guy's scull if needed, she didn't hesitate for a second.

It was actually quite fun. She tried to hide the excitement somewhat because of the grave circumstances. Sheriff Stilinski was seriously injured and everybody believed that Stiles was the real target for the attack.

Lydia had always had a soft spot for him, but he was so weird and unpredictable. She'd known him for ages, but it was only recently that they had become real friends. She liked the guy, but she couldn't possibly see herself as his girlfriend. She knew that he'd had a crush on her for years, and it was kind of sweet, but she could never reciprocate.

She was happy to learn that he and Derek were together. For Lydia it made sense. It was also a relief. Stiles was a kind of guy you wanted to hang out with, but doing so, Lydia had always been afraid to send out the wrong signals. That was not an issue anymore.

-o-o-o-o-

Chris was in the car waiting for Scott and Isaac. He could see the little dot on the screen moving south. The plan had worked out swimmingly.

When the guy didn't talk, they had two options: Kill him or let him lead them to his lair.

When Allison came up with the plan, Chris was proud of his daughter. She was a leader.

They had to find someone that the guy hadn't met before, and surprisingly enough, Lydia volunteered without hesitation. Playing the part of a stupid blonde came natural to her. They all knew she wasn't stupid, but she'd done that role for years already; so, doing it again was obviously just a piece of cake.

They had assumed that the guy had a vehicle near the hospital. If that wasn't the case, they would have had to come up with a new plan quickly. Isaac had been prepared to follow him on foot to the end of the world if needed, but if he suddenly just jumped into a car and took off, or if he got picked up, they had to be ready to track him visually.

Chris had tried to call Derek again, but there was still no reply. He had mixed feelings about this. Derek was a werewolf and a natural pray for a hunter, but the two of them had become friends and that had changed a few things in Chris' mind.

They had decided that Allison should stay behind with Stiles. Armed with a small arsenal of weapons and a few items from Dr Deaton's stash of werewolf-remedies, she was ready to take over for Scott as the protector.

Isaac had to take a quick trip to the loft to get a change of clothes. After running through the woods and crawling under the car to attach the tracking device, he felt the need to clean up a bit. Scott would pick him up on his way from the hospital, before the three of them hit the road to find the omega.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Allison knew that she was not Stiles' preferred company but under the circumstances, he'd just have to deal with it. Turned out it wasn't really a problem. With a shrug, Stiles accepted that Scott had to leave.

For a half hour, she just sat there by the door watching Stiles and the sheriff. It felt slightly awkward. It seemed like Stiles didn't even care.

"Ahem, I wonder..." She leaned forward a bit and managed to get his attention. "Are you doing the exam on Monday, uh? You know we have that English honors?" She knew it could be tough if they were going to sit there all night, but Allison was prepared and could probably pass the exam in her sleep.

Stiles lifted his head and turned to her. "I forgot. I guess..." He sighed heavily. "I guess I should try." Encouraged by the fact that he actually responded, Allison spoke again. "Even if you don't ace it, you should. It's the only one you have to do this year."

A faint 'yeah' was the only reply, and she decided to drop the subject for now. "How is he doing? He will survive, right?" This time she didn't get a response at all, so she sat back and picked up her phone. There were no magazines or anything in the room, so she found a game and played for a little bit. She had the sound off, because she thought it would be more appropriate.

Another half hour went by, before Stiles turned again. "Can you give me the crutches? I need to use the restroom." She followed his line of view and saw them in the corner by the door. "Sure." She got up and grabbed them before she handed them to him. "Do you need any help? I mean..." Allison had to smile a little. "I mean, I could help you get there."

Stiles got up from his seat a little clumsily as he shook his head. "No, it's okay. You should watch him." He nodded towards the sheriff. "I don't want him to be alone if he wakes up."

He was obviously in a lot of pain, and after taking the few steps to the door, Stiles was seriously exhausted. His shoulder was clearly bothering him, so using the crutches weren't particularly comfortable. "Stiles, wait!" Allison walked up to him and covered the exit. "I'll get a wheelchair. It's easier."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

The curious incident with the dispatched officer.

It had been more than 24 hours since the attack and surprisingly enough, the police never got involved. There had been a series of unfortunate events leading to this. When the Derek called 911 and explained that they needed an ambulance, the dispatcher had also sent a squad car to the scene.

The officer receiving the call had been home arguing with his wife about some trivial shit. Not wanting to reveal that he was out of area – he lived a few miles from Beacon Hills – he'd taken the call and headed towards the address mentioned.

He was relatively new to the force, and didn't know that it was sheriff Stilinski's house. On his way, he'd hit a skunk and had to pull over. The animal was dead from the impact so he didn't have to do anything else than to get it off the road.

When he came to the house, the ambulance had left. If the officer had come from the other direction, he would have spotted Derek's car leaving the neighborhood. It wouldn't have made a difference.

He saw the blood on the driveway and knocked the door without getting an response. After talking to a neighbor, he'd learned that a man had been attacked by a dog or something and was taken to the hospital. The Stilinski name was never mentioned.

Cursing to himself, the guy headed towards the hospital but was sidetracked by couple of youngsters fighting in an alley. One of them came at him with a baseball bat, and the officer had to jump in the car and call for backup.

When he eventually was back at the station, he'd completely forgotten about the animal attack. When he later had to write a short report, he knew he should have called the hospital and checked what had happened, but he was too embarrassed about his own screw-up to do so. He filed it away as a harmless dog attack, and promised himself to check it out during his next shift.

At home he discovered that his wife was gone. She'd left a note about going to her sister, but the officer knew that this was more serious than that. Their marriage was in shreds already. He decided to get drunk and after sleeping it off, he had only minutes left before he had to be ready to go to work again.

It was with a serious hangover he pulled up outside the hospital and went in. Before he asked about the incident, he had to find out who lived at the address. It was a startling discovery to see that it was sheriff Stilinski's residence.

The sheriff had been taken off the murder investigation, and he was possibly also on suspension, so nobody had missed him at the station. This was just too fucked up. The officer knew he would get in serious trouble if anyone found out.

He asked around and learned that the sheriff was alive, although in serious condition. They also told him that even if the circumstances were a little shady, it had in fact been an animal attack. The officer decided to leave it at that for the moment. He left the hospital without checking on Mr Stilinski.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Chris decided to tell the two boys that Derek was missing. He had the the technology to track any cellphone, but it wasn't easy to do so while he was driving. They didn't know how long they'd be on the road, and Chris wanted to multitask.

Isaac and Scott had been slightly disturbed when they heard, and they both expressed their worries. "I don't know where he can be. He may not want to be found, but under the circumstances, I think we should try regardless." Chris had handed the computer to Isaac sitting in the backseat, and told him to keep calling Derek to try to triangulate his position. "He may have lost his phone, so it isn't exact science, but lets try."

They had been on the road for more than a half hour, and the little dot on the GPS screen kept moving south in a steady pace. The three of them hadn't exchanged many words during that time. "I think. WOW!" The exclamation from the back seat startled both Chris and Scott. Isaac leaned over between the seats and repeated: "WOW!" He pointed to the GPS screen and then to the computer. "If I didn't do this wrong, we are heading towards Derek's phone."

The news was surprising to them all. It could of course be a coincidence, but it made them all think out new scenarios on Derek's whereabouts. Chris pulled over for a minute to make sure Isaac was correct. He checked the program before he called Derek again. And there it was. Clear as day. The omega from the hospital was clearly closing in on Derek's location.

After getting back on the road, they decided not to call Derek anymore. His phone was not moving, and it would be impossible for them to pinpoint the location with more accuracy than they already had.

Another half hour later, they noticed that the little dot stopped moving. Comparing the maps, they could see that Derek's phone was not more than a half a mile away from the omega's position. Probably less. Probably very much closer. "There's always a fraction of error when tracking a cell phone, but I think..." Chris didn't continue. He could see that the boys got the point.

Maybe Derek had gone out on his own search for the pack. Maybe he'd found them, or maybe they had found him. With the little cross next to his name on the list in mind, they all feared the worse. There was also another concern. Hester and Derek were seemingly friends. If she was behind all this, Derek could have decided to join her, leaving Beacon Hills behind for good.

When Chris threw out the idea, both Scott and Isaac protested. "He wouldn't! He wouldn't just leave Stiles without... without..." Scott seemed to blush a little as he spoke. "I mean. Leaving his mate like that is..."

Chris nodded to himself. So he'd really got it right. Derek and Stiles were in a relationship. It was obviously serious enough for Scott to use the word 'mate'. Chris knew a few things about werewolves and one thing was for sure. They mated for life.

There were no time to ponder over this. They were now so close to where the omega had parked, that they had to be careful not to accidentally stumble upon him.

It wasn't a problem. They could see the house from almost half a mile away. It was big. They managed to get a little closer, but then they had to leave the car. There was nothing around to cover them. Isaac volunteered to try to get a better look at the place, and circled the enormous yard.

He was back within a few minutes. "Derek's car is here. I can't hear him or smell him, but then again, I was probably not close enough." He perched himself on the hood of the SUV and cocked his head. "So what do we do now?"

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"We have to do some tests tomorrow, but it looks like this is going well." The doctor checking on Mr Stilinski turned to Stiles briefly. "He is still weak. He's going to be weak for a while. We can replenish the blood, but we can't force his body to produce new cells. It takes the time it takes." He shrugged and gave Stiles a lopsided smile.

Stiles just nodded and as soon as the 'posse' had left he resumed his previous position. He leaned his head on the bed and clung to his dad's hand. Sheriff Stilinski had been awake for the exam, but he was still woozy. He had managed to give Stiles a small smile, before his eyes fell shut again.

They wanted to move him out of the ICU; he wasn't in serious danger anymore, but they decided to wait until morning.

Stiles himself was so tired that he knew he could fall asleep any minute, but he wanted to stay awake. Allison being there wasn't much help. She'd tried to make conversation, and he'd wanted to have someone to talk to, but his mind wasn't really there.

The only person he wanted to have by his side at the moment was Derek, but he didn't come and he didn't answer his phone. There could of course be multiple reasons for it, but Stiles was seriously concerned.

Their last conversation had been weird. At that moment Stiles had been too concerned about what went on in his dad's hospital room to really notice, but in hindsight Stiles worried that it was a final goodbye.

'The slight desperation in Derek's voice.' 'The last little kiss.' Maybe it was Derek's way to say that he was not coming back. Stiles had spent the last few hours thinking through every little gesture and every little word. When he called again without a response, he couldn't stop the tears.

Allison noticed and jumped out of her seat to embrace him. It wasn't the arms he wanted to feel around him, but it felt good. It felt good having someone there who could ease the pain.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"I thought we were friends." Derek was staring at Hester as she came towards him. "Is this were you keep your boys when they misbehave?" He looked around in the cage – or kennel – or whatever she liked to call this prison cell.

Hester chuckled and turned on the lights, revealing the whole content of the dungeon in all it's glory. "Friends? Hm, I don't know what to call it." Her hand played with a set of keys. "I guess we could say that."

Derek did his best to play it cool. Creating a drama when he was caged in like that was probably not a smart move. "So, why am I here?" He threw a quick glance around the room. "What did I do to deserve this?"

She shook her head, before she panned the room herself. "Dear Derek, I really don't want to do this, but you know... You really belong in a pack. A lone wolf hanging with humans are weak." She bent down and put one of the keys in the lock. "I thought you might want to freshen up a bit. I have backup, so please don't try anything silly. Show me that I can trust you."

The cage-door opened, and Hester took a couple of steps back to let Derek out. He knew he could jump her and possibly get in a fatal blow, but what would be the point. He would never get out of this place alive if he tried something like that.

An alpha without a pack was weaker. Even if the others were only betas, they still outnumbered him five to one.

She led him through the room and opened a door at the other end. "You can use the restroom." She stepped to the side. "Go on, use the shower if you want. There's also a change of clothes in there if you care, take your time."

The bathroom was also like a dungeon. The black marble covering the floor and the walls absorbed a lot of the light and made it look gloomy. Derek wasn't sure if he should take Hester's offer, but after sitting in that cage for a few hours, a shower would be nice. He also wanted her to think he was pliable and decided to do as she wanted.

He took his time and after drying himself with the softest towel he'd ever held in his hand, he started to dress in the clothes she laid out for him. They weren't very different from what he'd been wearing before – Hester knew what she was doing – and they fit him perfectly.

As soon as he was out of the bathroom, Hester gestured for him to get back in the cage. "I'm so sorry, but I have to be somewhere. It won't take long." She seemed to measure him and her eyes gave clear evidence about that she liked what she saw. Then she hurried to turn to the cage again. "There's food."

Derek shook his head panned the room. There was equipment in there to tie up anybody securely in any position imaginable. The cage seemed to be the better option. The scent of meat hit his nose, an he could see that his present living quarters had had an upgrade. There was a couple of pillows and a small blanket in there. A small table was attached to the bars, and there was a plate of carpaccio and a basket of bread on it.

As Derek bent down and crawled into the cage Hester casually stroke his arm. "I'm expecting Alex back from Beacon Hills any moment now, so there will be two of my boys keeping an eye on you." Hester smiled a little shyly. "Sorry, but I don't really trust you... yet."

When she mentioned Beacon Hills, Derek startled and turned to her. He knew that the expression on his own face was telling. Hester shook her head and just before she closed the door she handed him a bottle of wine. "Oh, relax. He had clear instructions not to come near your precious human, Stiles." She smiled as she turned the key. "He is there to deliver a message. He'll be back shortly."

As she left him and started to ascend the stairs she turned to him, and casually threw out a few startling words. "They are not allowed to touch Stiles, because if need be, I will turn him myself."


	34. Chapter 34

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Scott, Isaac and Chris are scouting out Hester's mansion. They don't know how many werewolves they will encounter. They don't know if Derek is there willingly.
> 
> Mr Stilinski is getting better, but Stiles is not. Isaac (and Derek) makes a decision that will change the story. (My beta told me that since I'm the author, I have to know what's going to happen, but I promise you, what Isaac did in this chapter came as a surprise for me too.) This OC will be a permanent fixture. Don't hate me.

If they had payed any attention to the cars they met on their way, and if Isaac or Scott had looked at the occupants of those cars, they would have recognized Hester in the driver's seat of a BMW.

If they had payed attention, they would have known that the leader of the pack had left the premises together with three other people. That they didn't notice, wasn't so strange. It was dark, and even if they were off the highway, the speed limit was 50. To actually see anything in the passing cars, they would have had to know what to look for.

They didn't pay attention. They were looking at the GPS and the computer, comparing notes when Hester and her pack passed them.

This went the other way too; Hester and her pack weren't paying attention to the drivers of the meeting cars either. If she'd done so, she would have recognized Chris Argent, and she would have suspected that something must have gone wrong with her plan.

At this very moment, Hester and most of her pack were out dining with people she normally wouldn't be caught dead with. She'd befriended a family from Beacon Hills, just to learn more about Chris Argent's whereabouts. For them, she appeared as a single mother, contemplating on moving there.

In the meantime, Chris, Isaac, and Scott were trying to get closer to the house without being spotted. Crawling through the tall grass at the back of the building, they managed to get within hearing range for a werewolf.

There wasn't much to hear at first, but after about fifteen minutes, a door opened and a young man came out. They all recognized him as the guy they had been following. He paced the patio for a few minutes before he slumped down on a garden chair. A voice was heard from the inside. "Don't be so cocky about it. You got caught, Hester is going to punish you."

The guy on the outside chuckled and leaned back. "But I didn't reveal anything. They tried to torture me, but you know..." The other guy came out also and he shook his head. "Yeah I know, you're into that sort of thing. You're probably looking forward to the punishment."

The other young man disappeared for a moment, but then he came back with two glasses of wine. "Well, don't be too hopeful. Her new pet seems to be adjusting well." He handed one glass to the guy on the chair before he took a sip of the other one. "If I've dared I would have killed him now, he's screwing up everything."

The other one looked up and took the glass. "Pfft, he's practically dead. He will never succumb to her treatment. That Hale guy will never submit to her." He frowned a little. "I know the type. He would be turned on by inflicting pain, not receiving it."

After a few minutes of silence, the one on the chair threw a quick glance through the window. "Should we check on him?" He put the glass down and stared at his fellow pack-member. He received a small head-shake. "No point, he is locked up safely. ...unless you want to admire his bulging muscles and his perfect jawline." He chuckled a little. "I have a feeling that you would actually like to have him in this pack."

They didn't say much more. For another fifteen minutes, they just sipped wine and stared into the darkness surrounding the house. "She left him in your care. I mean... our care. We should check." The guy on the chair got up abruptly, and entered the house again. The other one shook his head, and followed before he closed the door behind them.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

When Allison's phone vibrated on the table, she hurried to grab it. She'd been dozing off a bit, but the chair was quite uncomfortable. Stiles seemed to be sleeping with his head on the mattress of his dad's hospital-bed.

"Yeah!" She whispered, trying not to disturb the Stilinskis. It was Scott. He was whispering also. "We've found their lair." He drew his breath quickly. "We've found Derek."

Allison almost jumped up from her seat. Stiles had reluctantly revealed to her why he was so sad, and now there could possibly be an answer to all the questions. "Where? Alive?" She huffed the words out so Stiles wouldn't hear her. Scott confirmed that they believed Derek was alive and well, but not free.

"Technically we don't know shit. We know they have a prisoner or something like that, but we can only guess that it's Derek." He paused for a second. "Derek's phone is nearby, so... all in all, the circumstantial evidence is overwhelming."

A quick glance over at the bed showed that Stiles hadn't changed position, and it sounded like he was still asleep. "What can I tell Stiles? He's worried." she did her best to keep her voice down. "He has even started to think that Derek could have left him for good."

It took a while before Scott replied, but then he sighed. "Tell him to have faith. We're gonna try to get Derek out." Allison could hear another voice in the background. It could have been her dad, but she wasn't sure. Scott continued. "I have to go. Wish us luck."

Allison looked at the phone for a few seconds after Scott hung up. She wasn't sure what to think. He hadn't really revealed much. She had no idea where they were or if they had to fight to free Derek. She wished she knew more, especially when she got startled from hearing Stiles' voice. "Tell me what? About Derek? What?"

He still had his head on the mattress, but now his face was turned towards Allison. He looked strangely at ease, as if he'd given up already. She tried to act as if she didn't know what he was talking about, but then Stiles lifted his head and furrowed his brows. "Just tell me. I can take it."

With a sigh, she lifted the chair and moved closer to the bed. She grabbed Stiles' hand. "They found him – Derek – they are trying to... He is... They think he is captured and locked up." Allison expected Stiles to freak out from the revelation, but instead he just smiled and relaxed against the bed again. "He didn't just leave me then? He's been imprisoned."

Allison nodded and squeezed Stiles' hand. "Yeah. I'm sure he would have been here with you if he could."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

The old house stood there just like he remembered it. The place was buzzing with life and a scent of fresh baked cookies came from the open kitchen window. A young girl was shouting for help with her homework. She would get the help, but not before she'd been reprimanded for being so loud.

In the sandbox on the side of the house, a toddler was trying to build a sandcastle. It didn't go very well, but she was laughing every time the sand trickled down the sides of the pyramid-like construction. A man was watching her and even if he didn't emit a sound, one could see that he was chuckling silently.

It was a blissful scene, but Derek didn't feel comfortable with it. He knew it was childhood memories, and it was somewhat haunting, but he wanted to stay in this lucid dreamlike state.

He could hear his father's voice calling his name, but when he turned to face him, he could see only darkness. "Derek, Derek, where are you?" The voice didn't sound like his dad's anymore. He wasn't even sure if he could remember his voice clearly. It appeared to come from the inside of the house, and suddenly Derek was in the basement watching his family huddled together.

"DEREK!" He knew that voice, but was at first not able to put a face to it. Another sound reached his ear. Someone came running towards him. He had to open his eyes, but couldn't still not see anything.

A clang on the bars of his cage woke him up completely, and he recognized one of Hester's boys looking at him. A commotion followed and in the dim light, Derek could see a body practically coming flying down the stairs. He landed with a thump, but managed to get up quickly. He turned to the cage and screamed. "Kill him Alex! Kill him!"

The boy next to the cage – obviously Alex – lifted a gun and aimed it at Derek. Derek scooted backwards and lifted his arms to cover his head, as if it would make a difference. Suddenly, Alex looked down and lowered the gun. He shook his head and scrunched his face as if he was in pain. "I'm not a killer. I can't."

The other one rushed towards him and tried to grab the gun, but Alex did his best to fend him off. Again, Derek heard the familiar voice. "Derek, are you there?" Now he recognized it as Chris', and even if it surprised him, he managed to reply. "Here! In the basement."

Shortly after that, the cavalry arrived. Scott and Isaac were baring their teeth, and growled as the charged towards the two guys fighting over the gun. "They have a gun!" Derek shouted, as he in the corner of his eye saw Chris appear from upstairs.

Alex went down on his knees and clenched the gun in his hand. The other one tried to take it, but Scott was fast and grabbed the guy by his collar and threw him into the bars, making the whole cage shake.

Alex was now aiming the gun at Isaac, but his hands shook so much that when he pressed the trigger, the bullet only grazed Isaac's side. It didn't stop him. Isaac kicked the gun out of the guy's hand before he jumped him and pinned him to the floor. With his arm lifted and his claws out, he was ready to give Alex the final blow.

"Don't kill him!" Scott's voice roared through the dungeon. "We don't have to kill them!" He sounded a little desperate, and he was doing his best to hold a squirming werewolf in his arms. Chris rushed to pick up the gun and after gesturing for Derek to get out of the way, he took a shot at the padlock on the cage. Fragments of the bullet and the shattered lock flew through the room and hit random targets.

A faint 'ouch' came from Isaac as he was hit in the face by one of the projectiles. Alex was now lying still under him, and didn't even try to get up when Isaac lifted his hand to his cheek. The other one was still struggling to get out of Scott's grip, but when Chris aimed the gun at his head, he too calmed down.

With his other hand, Chris removed the rest of the lock an opened the door of the cage. "Hurry, we don't know when she'll be back." He panned the room, and Derek could see that his eyes grew wide. "What is this? Some fancy torture chamber?"

Derek couldn't help the chuckle to escape from his throat. "You can say that, but I think it's more for pleasure than pain." Chris just huffed and walked over to the wall. There were chains with cuffs attached. With the gun still aimed at the guy Scott was holding, he nodded towards the chains. "Get over there, we're gonna spare you, but we have to make sure you don't come after us." The guy knew he was defeated, and walked willingly over to the wall and allowed himself be chained to it.

Alex was a sobbing mess on the floor. Derek didn't know that he had been both cocky and resilient in the basement of the Hale house. He looked at the guy with resentment. Alex stared up at him. "Just kill me." He huffed out between the sobs. "If you don't, she will, and she will take her time."

The four of them looked at him in surprise. Chris stepped forward and grabbed him by the collar, lifting his head off the floor. "I think you deserve it." He let go an looked around. "Let's just tie him up and leave."

They found another padlock, and decided to put Alex in the cage. As he crawled towards it, he turned his head towards Derek. "Take me with you. I'll do whatever you want. I'll be loyal to you." A grunt came from the chained up omega, but Alex didn't even peek over at him. "Please!"

Isaac was standing next to him with his head cocked. "Maybe we should. He's cute, and clearly submissive." The other three stared at Isaac. Derek chuckled. "You want him? I didn't expect that from you. Thought I knew you."

With a huff, Isaac covered his blushing face. "Nooo, I... no. It's just... could be interesting." He turned to Derek and smiled shyly before he with a childlike voice asked: "Oh, please daddy, can I keep him, I've always wanted a pet."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Morning came with new hope for Mr Stilinski's recovery. He was moved to a regular hospital room and most of the tubes and chords were removed. The only one left was a saline drip attached to his hand. It was still fairly early, but both Allison and Stiles were awake and alert.

Allison had got a cryptic message from Scott in the middle of the night. "Taking care of Isaac's new pet. Derek is fine. See you soon." She typed a question mark and sent it, but didn't get a reply. Stiles' phone was dead so he'd begged her to try to call Derek. His phone was obviously dead too, because it went straight to voice mail.

With no real news, they just sat there and watched as the sheriff tried to eat a little. He lifted the toast to his mouth with great effort, but he denied any help. Chewing seemed to be hard work too, so he dropped the toast and reached for the pudding. "I don't care for pudding, but... you know."

Stiles was pacing. Allison knew he was eager to know what had happened during the night. She was too, but managed to stay calm. She wondered if Stiles had touched his medication during the last couple of days, but after the call from Scott last evening, he had been surprisingly relaxed. Now he seemed to be falling apart again, and Allison wasn't sure if there was anything she could do.

"Please son, relax." She sound of Mr Stilinski's tired voice broke the silence. "I'm going to be fine. Everything will be fine." He slumped back to lean on the pillow as if the words had taken all his strength. Stiles turned to him and smiled. "Sure it will. Everything will be fine." Allison could see that he struggled not to cry, and she hurried to change the subject.

"Mr Stilinski. Sorry. Can I get you anything? I'm sure they have other foods here." She pointed to the items on his tray and frowned. "I can go out and get you something more, uh, tasty." The sheriff gave her half a smile. "Thank you Sweetheart, but its' not necessary. I'm really not that hungry." He closed his eyes for a second. "Maybe later."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

The decision to bring the guy – Alex – back to Beacon Hills was disputed but when Derek didn't seem to care, Isaac got his will. Chris was sure that he would be a burden, and that this powerful Alpha – Hester – would come after him, giving them all a hard time.

The guy was surprisingly pliable as Chris tied him up with wolfsbane-laced rope. It had to be painful for him, but he didn't even try to fight it. He crawled into the back of the SUV and sat down quietly. He'd struggled a little since he couldn't use his hands, but didn't ask or help.

Scott and Isaac jumped into the back seat, and Derek was riding shot-gun.

If he should take a guess, Chris figured that Alex was in his early twenties, maybe around Derek's age. He could possibly be younger, but it was hard to determine. He was a few inches shorter than his new Alpha, and surprisingly skinny for a werewolf.

Scott was the only one who really tried to argue against this but when nobody else bothered, he just shook his head and sat back. "Isaac's new pet, uh?" He turned to Isaac. ""Why?" When his friend didn't reply, he gave up that conversation also. The ride home went on in silence after that.

Chris was pretty sure that even if Derek was okay with it, he wasn't rejoicing. Chris wondered why he'd even agreed. The old Derek would have killed the guy without hesitation, but now he gave into Isaac's whim with a shrug.

Keeping the two werewolves alive went against Chris' instincts also. He was a hunter, and killing the prey was part of the deal. He'd spent several hours collaborating with two of them to rescue a third. Then he'd been convinced to leave the representatives for their enemy alive.

He spent most of the ride back contemplating on his own priorities. He had no count on how many werewolves he'd killed over the years. Starting out at a very young age, he had never had any regrets. Chris knew that his emotions was partially stunted from leading a life like that. As a young boy he was never allowed to show any hesitation or remorse after sometimes, not only killing the wolves, but also mutilating their corpses.

For some reason, things had changed after moving to Beacon Hills. He'd come there to rid the place of these so called supernatural beings, and now he was in cohort with them. The most surprising part in all this, was that he felt good about not killing the boys in the dungeon. For the first time in his life, he could leave a scene and feel good about himself.

That they brought one of them with was a totally different story. Chris would have been fine leaving the guy to his own fate. That he could be subject to horrible torture and eventually death, was none of their business. Derek must have had a serious lack of judgment when he made the decision.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

She could smell it the moment she walked inside. The scent of human flesh was lingering in the air. She found Troy in the basement, and decided to leave him there for an extended period of time.

Derek and Alex were gone. If she'd bothered to listen to Troy's ranting, she would have known what happened, but Hester was too angry to pay attention. She went outside and howled loudly in frustration.

This was now not only a mission to help a fellow werewolf. This was personal. She would not be able to rest until she'd got her revenge.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Stiles had slept a little in the chair next to the bed. It was slightly more comfortable than the one in the ICU. After the sorry excuse for breakfast, his dad had fallen asleep again. Stiles had eaten the rest of the food, but he was still hungry, and he was going to ask Allison if her offer was still valid.

At the moment, she was in the restroom trying to freshen up a bit. Stiles knew he should do the same, but moving around wasn't easy. It wasn't fun feeling so helpless, He'd been healing well, and would possibly had been able to walk without a limp in a couple of days if he hadn't injured his ankle again.

He hadn't heard a word from Derek. He – and Allison – hadn't heard a word from anybody since that text message in the middle of the night. He wanted to make a call, but was afraid of the disappointment if nobody picked up.

Allison was of the same opinion, and she acted somewhat antsy when she came back to the room. They decided that she would go out to get some food and a half hour later Stiles was sitting by the window waiting for her to come back. It was too early or his favorite fast-food joint to be open, but she'd promised to try to find something that was more tasty than the hospital food.

Stiles must have dozed of, so he didn't hear the door open. The scent of food tickled his nose, and he was about to open his eyes when a familiar voice reached his ear. "Somebody ordered curly-fries." He couldn't believe it. He turned and saw Derek in the doorway. Stiles wanted to jump up and throw himself into his boyfriends arms, but was hindered by the injury.

It didn't matter. Seconds later, Derek had put the food on the table and lifted Stiles from the chair. "I'm so sorry. I will never leave you again."


	35. Chapter 35

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If anybody is wondering: Alex has a resemblance to J. T. Austin. Longer hair, but same curls. He is probably part Mexican or something.
> 
> Isaac is troubled. He's alone in the loft with Alex, and doesn't feel safe. Scott, Derek and Chris are filling everybody else in on what happened. They expect Hester to come and seek revenge. Allison is not careful enough, and she makes a big mistake. (I promised you that there will be no major character's death, but it doesn't look good at the moment.) And for those of you who are waiting for smutty Sterek action: There's a treat for you at the end. I hope you won't hate me after this chapter.

The loft was bathing in sunlight, coming in through the big panorama window. Isaac was sitting on the couch trying to not fall asleep. The only sound in the room came from the coffeemaker, as water trickled though it. He wasn't big on coffee, but Isaac had decided that it was the only way to stay awake.

After he'd been left alone with Alex, it took less than fifteen minutes for him to regret bringing the guy here. He couldn't believe his own stupidity. He'd thought it would be fun having someone to order around. It sounded intriguing to not be lowest on the totem-pole anymore.

Sitting there – ever so often throwing a peek at the guy they had cuffed to the radiator – Isaac was questioning his own sanity. He didn't feel particularly safe either. Alex was no threat. Isaac was pretty sure that he could overpower him if he tried to come loose. He was more concerned about Hester and the rest of the pack. If they came to rescue Alex, Isaac wouldn't stand a chance.

When they came back a few hours ago, he'd wanted to have a chat about what to do with the guy, but the others were to busy getting out of there to care. Derek wanted to get to the hospital as soon as possible; Chris had to pick up Allison and make sure she was safe, and Scott wanted to get home to his mom, protecting her.

Alex hadn't said a word since they came. Derek let him use the restroom before he dug out a pair of handcuffs from his room. Both Chris and Scott had lifted a brow by the fact that Derek kept cuffs in his sock-drawer, but Isaac wasn't surprised at all.

After providing him with a bottle of water and a bag of chips – which Isaac had to take from his own stash – the others left. They hadn't made a big deal out of it, but Isaac knew what they were thinking. They probably thought he had the hots for the guy, but that wasn't it. Isaac just felt sorry for him.

He had been so strong when Chris tortured him, and even if Isaac in the heat of the moment was about to kill him, he felt for the guy. Alex was obviously more afraid of his alpha than he was of a skilled hunter.

It could, of course, be a trick, but the fear in the guys eyes when he realized that they were about to leave him alive for Hester couldn't be fake; not unless he was trained in acting.

Two hours and five cups of coffee later, Isaac had a hard time keeping his eyes open. The caffeine wasn't working, so he started pacing just to avoid dozing off. Alex had tried to make himself comfortable, but it couldn't be easy. They had frisked him and they'd found a drivers license. He was twenty – almost twenty-one – but he looked younger. He was about 5'8'' and not particularly buff.

Isaac watched him from the corner of his eye. He had brown wavy hair. It wasn't cut in a while and looked kind of messy. It suited him. Strands of hair were partially covering his dark brows and big brown eyes.

At the moment they were closed, and Isaac wondered if he was asleep. He took a few steps towards the guy, and got a little startled when Alex opened his eyes and stared at him. In a split second, he lowered his gaze and scooted closer to the wall. "Sorry." It was the first word he'd uttered since they dragged him out of Hester's dungeon.

Isaac squatted in front of him and reached his hand out to push the hair away from his eyes. "It's okay. I'm not gonna hurt you." He had to wait almost a minute before Alex lifted his head again. Staring into those pleading brown eyes, Isaac almost got emotional about it. "I'll get you a blanket and some pillows." He got up and was about to move away, but then Alex grabbed his wrist. "If she comes, you have to kill me."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

The reunion scene in the hospital should have been a private affair. It would have been, if the sheriff hadn't woken up. Stiles was clinging to Derek, and had his tongue practically down his throat when they both heard a grunt from the bed.

Stiles couldn't easily jump out of Derek's embrace; he had his legs wrapped around his boyfriend's waist and he knew that if he let go, he had to step on the injured foot. He held on as he turned to his dad. "Sorry you had to see that, but you were supposed to be sleeping."

Mr Stilinski covered his eyes and turned away. "I guess I just have to get used to it. It's just..." He sighed and threw a glance at them. "...I'm not used to it yet." Derek lowered Stiles onto the chair and took a couple of steps back. "I'm sorry Mr Stilinski. I should have been here to protect him, uh, both of you, but I got into some trouble."

Stiles noticed that his dad got a puzzled expression on his face. For a second he wondered about it, but then he realized that his dad didn't know anything about what had happened since the attack. He hadn't been told that he was attacked by a werewolf either. Everybody had referred to it as a dog-attack, and the sheriff hadn't been alert enough so far to even question it. "You don't remember? What do you remember?"

Sheriff Stilinski closed his eyes and leaned back on the pillow. "I remember that I thought I would die." He scrunched his face as if he was in pain. "I remember telling him," he pointed at Derek, "I told him to take care of you." He shook his head. "But I don't know why he would need to protect me."

Derek covered his face with his hands before he straightened himself up and addressed the sheriff. "We are under attack. You are in danger due to affiliation. I tried to get help, but I just made it worse." He sighed heavily. "I'm a screw-up, but I love your son, and I will protect him with my life."

A few moments of silence followed before Stiles managed to grasp what Derek had said. "What did you do?" He knew that Derek had been held prisoner, but he didn't know by whom. He had an idea, but he'd been too worried to give it a second thought.

"It was Hester, right? She's not your friend after all." Stiles looked up and could see that Derek looked embarrassed. "Tell me what happened!"

With the sheriff's eyes fixed on him, Derek gave them a recap of the events. Stiles could see that his dad expression changed from curiosity to disbelief. "We left them, uh, we left one of them chained to the wall." There was evidence of a faint blush on Derek's face, and with a sigh, he rubbed his eyes before he continued. "We took one of them with us."

Stiles jaw dropped. "You took a prisoner? Why? Wouldn't that mean that we're sort of at war with her pack?" He shook his head and covered his face with his hands. "She'll come after him, won't she?"

Derek seemed to have a hard time to decide where to rest his gaze. "I know, but involving her in the first place was a bad move on my part. Although, she was involved already." Eventually his eyes met Stiles'. "Evidently, the Alpha-pack gave up on recruiting. The two leftover werewolves just wanted us dead after the incident in the garage." He started pacing. "Hester made her own plan and took over the task completely. I had only two options. Either join her or... risk everybody's life."

Stiles could still not understand why they didn't kill the two werewolves they encountered at Hester's house. "Wouldn't she be weakened if you'd just..." He sighed and threw a glance at his dad. "Maybe you guys should have killed them?"

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

When Scott came home, Melissa was getting ready to go to work. She startled visibly when he came through the door, before she ran over and embraced him. "Scott, I worried. Why didn't you call. I..." Her facial expression turned from concern to anger. "Do you have any idea how it was for me to just sit here and wait for news. When you told me you were going hunting with Chris, I didn't know what to think."

Scott sighed and shook his head. "I'm sorry mom. It was... We found Derek." He paused for a second. "I need a shower. I'll tell you everything on the way." He moved towards the stairs. His mom stared at him. "On the way? I'm going to work. On the way where?"

Scott was half way upstairs when he turned to her. "To the hospital. I'm going with you. You are in danger too."

A half hour later, she parked the car outside the hospital and looked at her son. "You're going to stay here for the whole shift? You can't just hang around the halls." Scott had told her what had happened, and he'd tried to explain the danger they were all in. She had a hard time digesting it all, but she did understand that they had to take precautions.

"I'm going to visit Stiles' dad. He needs protection also." Scott jumped out of the car. "Come on. Get to work, mom. I'll find Stiles. Don't trust anyone you haven's seen before, and call me if something doesn't feel right. I'll be close."

He picked up his phone and called Stiles. When he realized that Stiles' phone was off, he tried Derek's, and soon he was guided through the hospital to Mr Stilinski's room. After a brief welcoming scene, he urged Stiles to get home and get some sleep. "I'll stay here. I'll watch over him." He nodded towards the bed where the sheriff was now currently sleeping. "...And charge your phone. I'll call you if anything happens."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Allison stared at her dad after he'd told her the whole story. "Seriously! You left them alive? What kind of hunter are you?" She shook her head and let out her breath in small huffs. "And you brought one of them with you? Do I know you?"

Chris chuckled a little. "Your boyfriend made the decision on leaving them alive, and I agreed with him. We didn't have to kill them. There has been enough killings." He looked away for a second. "But rest assured. We will not hesitate if the shit hits the fan. If she comes after any of us, we will join forces and take her out."

There was no doubt in her mind that Hester would come. Allison felt it in her gut. A powerful Alpha like that wouldn't let herself be embarrassed. She would definitely seek revenge. "'If' she comes? I think you mean 'when' she comes." Allison looked at her dad and could see the faint nod. "Yeah. When." He twisted his hands. "We're going to interrogate that guy, Alex, later. Now we need some sleep. Tonight we're going to make plans."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"I'm going to rebuild the house." Derek squinted against the bright sun as he pulled away from the curb. With a joint effort, Melissa and Scott had managed to convince Stiles to leave the hospital for a while. Now, he and Derek were on their way to the Stilinski-house.

For several reasons, they had decided to take this detour before they headed to the loft. Derek was a little worried about Isaac, and didn't want to leave him alone with Alex for too long; so this would be a quick trip. Stiles wanted to get a change of clothes, and also just check the house. They had been told that Mr Stilinski could possibly get out of the hospital soon to recover in his own home, so Stiles wanted to make sure that it looked okay.

Now, he stared at Derek and furrowed his brows. "What? But..." He shook his head. "But it's just a pile of burnt wood. You'd have to tear it all down and start from scratch." He looked like he didn't believe what he'd heard. "Didn't the city take it?"

Derek shrugged and threw a peek at Stiles. "The investigation is over, I can reclaim it. It's just some paperwork. It is technically my house." He knew it wouldn't be an easy task, and the house carried a few bad memories, but things had changed and he wanted a home. A real home. "I want to rebuild it and live there..." He could feel that he was blushing as he was about to finish the sentence. "...with you."

Not a sound came from Stiles, and Derek wondered if he'd been too forward. Even if he himself knew that he was in this relationship for the long haul, it could be different for Stiles. He was a human, and he had never been in a relationship before. Maybe he didn't want to plan the rest of his life at his age.

"Really?" Derek got startled when Stiles finally spoke. They had reached the Stilinski-house and he was about to park. He wasn't quite sure if Stiles sounded excited, or if it was just surprise in his voice. Derek sighed. "I mean... I would like that, but if you think it's too soon to even talk about living together, it's okay." Derek gave his boyfriend a lopsided smile as he opened the car door to exit. "I want to rebuild it regardless."

They didn't exchange a word as Derek helped Stiles out of the car and partially carried him to the front door of the house. Derek still had the sheriff's keys on him, and had to let go of Stiles for a second as he unlocked the door. "What about Isaac? He is your responsibility. You turned him, you can't just abandon him." Stiles shrugged a little. "He has no home."

Derek got slightly thrown off by Stiles' words. "Uh, I, I thought... It's a big house. We, the Hales, were a big family. I... there will be plenty of room." He paused for a second as they moved inside. "I want it back to it's former glory. Full of life. There could be room for Scott also."

He could see that Stiles thought about it for a moment. "I'd like that." He smiled, and Derek could have sworn there was a tear in his eye. "It would be almost like you'd be a leader of pack, although it wouldn't really... I mean. At least you'd be head of the household."

Derek shook his head, and pulled Stiles into an embrace. "Maybe, but I'm not a leader. I've proved that several times." He kissed Stiles on the forehead. "Would you still want this if I was a beta?" With his mouth closing in on Stiles' lips, he whispered: "Scott is a true-Alpha, he would be a natural leader."

Stiles pulled back abruptly. "So you really want to build a new pack?" He chuckled a little. "I'm not so sure Scott agrees, but... and for your status, I love you, not because you're an Alpha-werewolf, more in spite of it. It would have been much easier if you were human, but that's not an option."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Allison couldn't sleep. The few little naps she'd got in the hospital during the night were obviously enough to keep her awake at the moment. The sunlight from the outside didn't help much either. Even if the curtains were closed the rays still managed to bother her.

After twisting and turning for almost an hour, she got up and took a shower. She wanted to check on Lydia. After they had left her she'd gone home, and nobody had bothered to make sure she was safe. She had helped them, and could possibly also be a target for the revenge.

She didn't know if Hester and her pack had figured out how Lydia had fooled the guy in the hospital parking lot. Allison wasn't aware of the fact that the only one of them who'd seen Lydia's face, was securely cuffed to the radiator in Derek's loft. If she'd known, she might not have gone out of the house to make sure her friend was safe.

When her dad told her that they had taken a prisoner, he'd failed to mention who it was. Allison couldn't possibly know that this guy never realized that the girl in the parking lot had anything to do with what happened later either.

She stepped outside with her phone pressed to her ear, waiting for Lydia to pick up. The attack came like lightning from a clear blue sky. Allison lifted her arm to cover her face, and could feel the fangs of the woman in front of her dig deep into the flesh of her forearm. She screamed out in pain and tried to push her away.

Hester was strong, but when she tried to hit Allison's neck with her claws, dumb luck was the only thing that saved the girl. Allison had failed to close the door properly, so when she got attacked, she fell backwards into the house, causing Hester to lose her balance for a second. Allison could almost see her life flash before her eyes when her dad suddenly was at her side.

He aimed a gun at Hester's head. Allison's scream had alerted a few of their neighbors, and all three of them could see a few people moving towards the house. Chris hesitated for a split second. It was all Hester needed. Moments later, she'd fled out the door and vanished.

Chris was about to go after her when he looked at his daughter squirming and sobbing on the floor. He addressed the couple of people in the driveway. "It's okay. It was just a crazy distant relative. We'll be okay. I'll take care of it. Go home! I have to call the police so they can find her and put her back in the mental institution where she belongs."

Allison heard what he said; she could hear the door close, and it startled her to realize that she could hear the neighbors whispers from the outside.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Stiles was sitting on the bed watching Derek dig through his closet. "What do you need? How long will you stay?" Derek turned slightly and stared at Stiles. "When will they send your dad home?" When Stiles didn't answer, he paused and sighed heavily. "You have to help me. I'm sorry I mentioned the house. Don't even think about it right now. It will take a while."

The Hale-house was not on Stiles' mind. The only thing he could think of at the moment was to get closer to Derek's body and possibly get a release for his growing cock. Knowing that he'd spend an unknown period of time in the loft with Isaac as a keen listener, he wanted to get hot and heavy right now.

"I know I'm an invalid, but would it be possible to postpone our departure. I just... I just want you." He tried to put on a seducing smile, but wasn't sure if he managed. Derek bowed his head and even with his back turned to him, Stiles could see that he chuckled silently. "I need a shower regardless, and I can just as well do it here... with you." He pouted a little as Derek slowly turned towards him.

"We have time." Derek was still chuckling. "We will take the time. I thought, maybe... I don't know what I was thinking. Let's take a shower. An injured foot is not a problem, we've done that before."

They undressed in Stiles' room. Technically, Derek undressed them both. Then he lifted Stiles off the bed and carried him into the bathroom. "You need some alone time? I mean, I could wait outside if you need to..." Derek blushed as a schoolgirl on her first date. "I could go and get the garden stool."

Now it was Stiles' time to chuckle. "It's still here, and no, I don't want you to leave." He pointed at the shower-curtain. "Dad thought it was a good idea to keep it there until my ankle healed."

Derek gave him the same treatment with the soap as he'd done the last time they were in there, but when Stiles felt like he could cum any second, Derek got to his feet and started to soap himself up, completely ignoring the throbbing cock in front of him. Stiles was about to say something, but watching Derek caressing his own skin was so arousing; it left him speechless.

Sitting there with his back against the wall – not able to move much – Stiles had to touch himself. He was so hard now that his head was spinning. He didn't get a chance to do much before Derek pushed his hand away. "No, it's mine." He leaned down and kissed the head of the cock, before he got under the streaming water to rinse the soap off. "I hope the stool will hold."

Stiles had no idea what Derek was talking about. Even if it was made of plastic, it was still pretty sturdy. Seconds later he knew. Derek moved in and straddled him, lowering himself slowly until Stiles' cock brushed his asshole. With one hand around the shaft, Derek aimed and pushed down. Pain was written on his face, but he didn't stop until he was seated on Stiles' lap.

A shiver went through the Alpha and Stiles knew why. Derek didn't prep himself for this. He'd just impaled himself without any foreplay. For Stiles, the sensation was too overwhelming for him to comment on it. The tight squeeze on his cock was unbelievable. He knew that if Derek moved only a little bit, he'd cum in an instant.

Derek didn't move. He just wrapped his arms around Stiles and sat still. "I'll heal." The words were huffed out, as a response to Stiles' thoughts. Stiles could feel claws digging into his back and he wondered for a second if he'd survive this. Derek drew his breath and pulled back a little. Stiles could feel that the claws retracted, but he noticed the blood that was blending in with the water running down the drain.

Ever so slowly, Derek started to ride him. Stiles didn't know if the pace was set due to pain, or if he was afraid that the garden-stool would collapse. It didn't really matter. It took only a few thrusts before Stiles cummed. Derek was obviously close and he gestured for Stiles to grab his cock.

Stiles was only semi-alert, but he managed to respond to the suggestion. He tugged on it and in a matter of seconds Derek came also, squirting white stripes over Stiles' stomach. The water washed it away instantly, but a few drops lingered in the bellybutton for a few seconds.

"Ohmghhh." Stiles could not form a coherent sentence if his life depended on it. He was a little concerned about the scars on his back and if he was about to bleed out, but addressing it wasn't an option at the moment. Suddenly, he could feel Derek's hands on his cheeks, and seconds later he had a set of lips on his. "It was good." Derek whispered against his mouth. "We will try that again."


	36. Chapter 36

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Derek and Stiles finally make it to the loft were Isaac is waiting with their prisoner. He's not such a good prison-guard. Stiles get's a little jealous when he sees Alex, but he feel sorry for him and tries to be friendly. Allison and her dad realize what will happen to her and they are doing their best to deal with it.
> 
> Hester is seriously pissed off, but after a while, she manages to look at the incident as a small victory.
> 
> Scott, Melissa and Mr Stilinski are having lunch together at the hospital. We learn a little about Alex' life and how he became a werewolf.
> 
> Isaac makes a new discovery about himself. (I'm not getting to far into it now, but this will be explored further in later chapters. Feel free to give me suggestions.)

Calling Hester's three boys Omegas, was technically not the correct term. Being in a pack, they were Betas just like her girls. It was still a big difference. None of them had any say in what the pack was doing. They were more or less servants for Hester, and ranked much lower than the twins.

Derek didn't even want to think about how they served her, or what they were willing to do to stay in her grace. He'd seen the dungeon, and could only imagine what kind of treatment she subjected them to.

There wasn't a doubt in his mind that Hester's relationship with the boys was very different from what he had with Stiles. Derek got turned on by inflicting pain; he had to admit that, but he would never do anything that Stiles wouldn't be in on completely. He was pretty sure that Hester didn't take the boys wishes into consideration. Derek was also capable of enjoying a 'vanilla' scenario with Stiles. For him it was all about the attraction and the love. He didn't know if Hester could love anyone but herself.

Alex was obviously the latest addition to her pack. He was not very skilled in fighting, and his body seemed underdeveloped for a werewolf. Maybe Hester wanted him like that. Maybe she liked the fact that he appeared younger than he really was. At the moment, this fact came to their advantage. Derek was pretty sure that he wouldn't be able to come loose from the cuffs, and if he tried to attack anybody, he would be easily defeated.

He parked outside the building, and helped Stiles out of the car. "We shouldn't have brought this guy here. I don't know what I was thinking." Derek shook his head as he unlocked the door. "I guess I just..." He didn't bother to continue. Stiles had already heard his excuses.

"Derek! I don't care why! He's here and we have to deal with it." Stiles gestured for Derek to help him get inside. "If you keep rationalizing and apologizing, I'm gonna think you're hiding something." He cocked his head. "You're making me think I have competition. If you're trying to make me jealous, you are doing an excellent job."

They ascended the stairs slowly. Stiles insisted on walking up instead of being carried. It wasn't easy. "I'm not, believe me. There is no need to feel jealous. It's just... If he's truthful, we'll have another member of our pack. I feel that you should have been there to make the decision with me."

Stiles paused for second to adjust his grip around Derek's waist. "Me? Why? I'm not a werewolf. It's your pack, for now." He tugged on Derek's shirt to alert him that he was ready to keep moving. "A bigger pack will make you stronger, right? It can't be bad. We need strength to fight Hester."

Derek nodded. "Yeah, well, Yeah, but we don't know if he's conning us, uh, me. If so, we're in deep shit."

He didn't know what to expect when he opened the door, but the scene in front of them surprised him. Alex was lying on the floor, curled up under a blanket. It covered him almost entirely. His left hand was sticking up, hanging from the cuff attached a few feet off the floor. The top of his head with the messy curls was also visible.

Next to him – and within reach if Alex wanted to attack – Isaac was sleeping. It seemed like he'd tried to stay awake, but even in a position that must have been uncomfortable, he'd dozed off.

He woke up in an instant as Derek slammed the door shut. Throwing a quick peek at Alex, Isaac scooted away before he got up. "Uh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to fall asleep. He's been good though. He didn't try to, eh... I think he really wants to join us. I think he can be trusted." A small sound from Alex made Isaac jump and take a few steps away. Derek chuckled. "Clearly you trust him."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Allison was still lying on the floor. The sobs had now diminished to a faint whimper. Her dad was sitting next to her, stroking her hair. The pain in her arm had been excruciating, but at the moment she could only feel a light throb from the wound. She hadn't dared to look at it. She knew it was closing up by the minute.

"Dad I..." She had to draw her breath and calm herself before she continued. "I'm not as strong as mom. I can't kill myself." Again, the sobs were about to take over but she forced it away. "You have to do it."

Chris' hand stopped moving for a second, before he again let his fingers run through her hair. "Shush Baby-girl, it'll be alright. We'll deal with this." His voice was trembling, and Allison knew that he'd understood what was about to happen to her. "Deal? We'll deal? She bit me! She's an Alpha. It was Hester, right? I can already feel the transition." She swallowed hard and squeezed her eyes shut to avoid shedding any tears. "You have to do it before the full moon. Promise me, dad. Don't let me go through this."

She didn't want to die, but she had an obligation to the family. There was no way she, as an Argent, could live as a werewolf. There was still a few days till the full moon, and she could possibly muster up the courage to off herself. If only Hester had managed to finish the job, this wouldn't have been an issue. She cursed to herself for not closing the door properly.

"Hey, maybe we should tell the others that she's in Beacon Hills." Her dads' voice interrupted Allison's train of thoughts. "She could be going after some of them." With a heavy sigh, she got up from the floor. She threw a quick peek at her arm, and as she suspected, the wound from Hester's teeth was barely visible. It would probably be completely healed in a few hours.

"I'll give Scott a call, you can alert Derek." Allison patted her pockets to find the phone. It wasn't there. "Oh, God! Lydia! I called her, she could have picked up. Oh my God." Back down on the floor she crawled around a bit before she found the phone under the coffee table. "I have to call Lydia first."

Her dad was watching her while she waited for Lydia to pick up. He seemed like he was lost in his own thoughts. It was perfectly understandable. He'd lost his wife under similar circumstances, and now he was about to lose his daughter.

"WHAT HAPPENED! You called me just to hang up on me? What's going on?" Lydia sounded extremely annoyed. "I was about to call you back, but then I..." Allison cut her off. "SHUT UP! Listen! Are you at home?" When Lydia confirmed, Allison continued without giving the girl a chance to say anything else. "Stay inside. Do not open the door for anybody you don't know."

When Lydia again tried to speak, Allison shushed her. "You helped us, you could be in danger. We'll figure something out, but at the moment you just have to trust me. Stay put and arm yourself." It took a little while before anything happened, and when Lydia finally said something, her voice had a totally different tone. "Arm myself? Are you kidding me? I have no weapons." She sounded scared. "I'm home alone, and you are freaking me out."

Allison promised to get someone to pick her up. "You can come here. I'll call you when I've organized something."

Chris was still staring at her when she hung up. "Dad, shouldn't you call Derek?" She found Scott's number and pressed the call-button as she at the same time gestured for her dad to get on with his task. A shiver went through him as he dug out his own phone. "What do I tell him? Should I tell him what happened?" Allison widened her eyes. She hadn't even thought about that.

The moment Scott picked up, she'd made a decision. He greeted her with happiness in his voice, and Allison had to swallow hard before she managed to respond. She stared at her dad and shook her head slowly as she addressed her boyfriend. "Hi Scott. We have bad news. Hester is in town. We don't know if she's here alone. We don't know if she's after anyone in particular, but she's been spotted."

Scott was surprised by the news. "Already? I feared that." He told her that he was at the hospital with Mr Stilinski. "Derek and Stiles are probably at the loft. Where did you see her? Did she come to your house?"

Allison didn't want to lie to him, but she didn't want to reveal what happened either. "I'll tell you about it later, just take care. We have to alert the others. I'll call you."

Her dad had still not called Derek, but now he finally lifted the phone to his ear. It took a while before Derek answered, and Allison could see that Chris got a little impatient. Finally he got a response, and it startled Allison to realize that she could hear Derek's voice from across the room.

Her dad told him that Hester was in town, and that they should all get together. Derek suggested that they could come to him and when Allison nodded, Chris confirmed that they would do so. He didn't even blink when he obviously got aware of the fact that Allison could hear what Derek said.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

The sun didn't reach their table. They were sitting in a booth in the darkest corner of the restaurant. The table was chosen partially because they didn't want to be spotted, but also because they didn't want anyone listening in on their conversation. It was after lunch time and only a few tables by the windows were occupied. They were the only ones sitting in the back.

Joy and Jade stared at their adoptive mother as they picked at their sample platter of appetizers. Hester herself hadn't ordered any food; her hand was clenched around the stem of a wine glass. She frowned ever time she lifted the glass to her lips as if the wine had a foul taste.

The girls knew what had happened, and they knew not to comment on it. "You could have picked a better place, they don't have decent wine here." Hester took another sip and scrunched her face in disgust. Her daughters didn't comment on that either.

A waiter came towards their table. He was in his mid twenties and one could easily spot that he was somewhat smitten by the booths occupants. The two young, identical blonds with model-like features and the older, more sophisticated, beautiful woman, could turn heads wherever they were.

He nodded shyly before he asked if they wanted anything else. Hester gave him a piercing stare before she lifted her glass. "Give me another one of this dish-water." He took the glass and tried to apologize, but Hester just waived him off.

Fifteen minutes later, Hester had finally managed to calm down somewhat. She sighed and shifted her gaze between the two girls. "It may not have gone according to plan, but it could work out to our advantage anyway." She took another sip, and didn't react to the taste anymore. "If the bite takes, that girl is practically dead already. The hunters' code is rigid."

She twirled the glass between her hands. "Ben is going to go after the McCalls. The mother should be an easy kill, but that Scott-person is a little unpredictable." Joy hadn't said a word since they ordered their food, but now she leaned forward and cocked her head. "Will you kill the Stilinski-boy? He's cute. Can I have him?"

Hester rolled her eyes. "We'll see. If you catch him alive, I'll think about it." She got up abruptly, and threw a few bills on the table. "Let's go. Let's wait for the full moon. Let them think we gave up."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Stiles were sitting on the couch with a sandwich in his hands. He'd joked about getting jealous, but after seeing the guy they brought back, it wasn't a joke anymore. There was no reason to the madness that made them bring him here, and Stiles got seriously intimidated by his appearance. Alex was absolutely adorable.

He hadn't moved much or uttered a word since they came in, he was just sitting there on the floor following them with his big brown eyes. The only time they saw a change in him was when Derek received a call from Chris telling them that Hester was in town. Alex had flipped his head around and stared at Isaac, mouthing something Stiles couldn't understand. When Isaac gave him an almost invisible nod, he exhaled in relief.

As soon as they arrived, Derek had rushed to the kitchen and made some sandwiches. Stiles took the one he was handed , but wasn't very hungry; Derek had brought him food at the hospital. He noticed that Alex swallowed hard as he watched the others eat, and he figured that the guy had to be hungry.

Stiles didn't know if Derek and Isaac had a plan to starve him, but for Stiles, it felt wrong to not offer him anything. He got up and jumped towards him on one leg. He didn't want to come too close; they didn't know if they could trust him yet, so he just leaned forward a little and held his hand with the sandwich out in front of Alex' face.

Alex looked up at him suspiciously, but when Stiles nodded, he reached out to grab the food with his free hand. "Thank you." He immediately bowed his head and scooted a little further back. Stiles remembered years ago; a stray dog had camped outside their house for a few days. When they tried to feed it, it had acted the same way. Sheriff Stilinski had explained that the dog probably was used to being beaten or kicked, and that was the reason he behaved like that.

Derek and Isaac had watched the scene without interrupting, but now, Derek came over to help Stiles back to the couch. "That was nice of you. I totally forgot that he hadn't eaten either." He gave Stiles a quick kiss on the cheek. "I can make more."

Back in his seat, Stiles shook his head. "No, it's okay, I wasn't that hungry." He could see that Alex had a hard time trying to keep the sandwich together with one hand. He tried to use the cuffed hand too, but couldn't help it when a slice of tomato landed on the floor. He threw a quick peek at Derek and seemed to shrink a little.

When Derek walked over to him there was a hint of fear in his eyes, but Derek just picked up the tomato-slice and shrugged. "No big deal. I'm sorry we have to tie you up, but you know..." Alex nodded, but didn't say anything. Derek cocked his head. "I'm not used to having prisoners, and I'm not sure what the Geneva convention says, but we will try to treat you fairly." He started to walk away, but then Alex lifted his head and cleared his throat. "Sorry Sir, but would it be possible to use the restroom."

Derek stared at him puzzled. "Sir? Well yeah." He chuckled a little. "I guess it's possible." He dug the key to the cuff out of his pocket and threw it to Isaac. "You take care of it. He's your responsibility."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

There was a knock on the door, and Scott jumped up from his seat, ready to cover Mr Stilinski from whoever it was. The door opened slowly, and he relaxed as the scent of his mother, together with an unmistakable smell of pepperoni pizza, hit his nose.

Melissa tiptoed into the room. "Lunch." She whispered, throwing a quick look at the sheriff. "I ordered pizza." She nodded towards the bed. "He has to be hungry, and I thought..." She stopped and smiled a little shyly. Scott followed her line of view and noticed that the sheriff had woke up.

"Pizza, uh? I hope some of it is for me. I'm starving." He tried to sit up, and Melissa hurried to hand the pizza to Scott, before she went over to the bed and helped him. "Of course. I thought we could have lunch together." She adjusted the bed so he could sit up. "Giving you a decent meal was a priority."

Scott sighed. "...and pizza it is." He opened the box and put it on the nightstand next to the bed. "I thought it was for me, but I guess we'll have to share." He giggled a little as he grabbed a piece. "You first." He handed it to the sheriff. "I was joking, you know that?"

Mr Stilinski rolled his eyes, but he took the piece. "I'm not quite sure. You're a werewolf, right? I don't know anything about your metabolism."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

For almost six years, Alex had been living on the streets, surviving from day to day on scavenging and petty theft. When he started to get more heavily into drugs, he'd had to find other means to support himself and his addiction. It wasn't easy when he the first time solicited a well dressed businessman in an alley next to a posh restaurant. He'd hung out with a few prostitutes for a while, so he knew the tricks of the trade.

It took him only a couple of weeks get used to that fat old med stuck their dicks in his mouth.

One late evening he was sitting on a bench cunting his money. He was waiting for his dealer when a woman walked up to him. He wasn't sure how to react. He'd never dealt with a female client before. She didn't look like someone who'd need to pay for his services, but he wasn't picky on customers.

The offer she made him was intriguing and after a decent amount of bills had changed owner, he followed her to her car. He knew that the withdrawal symptoms from not getting a fix that day, had clouded his judgment, but the money was good. He'd barely had any sexual interaction with a female before. He didn't count his first sexual experience with the neighbor girl, way back when he had a home. At that time there had only been some heavy petting involved and he'd cummed before they got to the interesting parts. Not that he'd had any real experiences with guys either. The light frottage he'd shared with a friend from the streets when they were huddled together on cold nights, or the blow-jobs in the alleys, didn't count either.

Turned out she wasn't interested in having sex with him. She brought him to her house and tied him up. After a session of abuse that left him bleeding and in pain on the floor, she took off with the young man who'd been watching the whole thing.

Alex was shivering from drug withdrawals and was in no condition to even think about the aftermath. He couldn't get out of the dungeon, and he knew he'd made a bad decision when he took her offer.

He didn't know how long he'd been there when Hester came back. At that point he was a trembling mess, covered in his own feces and vomit. With ease and a frown on her face, she'd lifted him off the floor, and carried him into the bathroom. There she pushed him under a cold stream of water.

When he was somewhat clean she made him another offer, and even if he had no idea what she was talking about, he was ready to do anything to get rid of the pain he was suffering.

The bite was excruciatingly painful, and for a moment he thought he would die, but then it subsided and he could see the scars from last night closing up. The craving for drugs also went away, and he hadn't touched anything stronger than wine since that day.

She'd treated him well except for the torture she sometimes subjected him to, and for Alex it was a small price to pay for having a family again. That this new family was slightly dysfunctional didn't bother him; he'd come from a home where abuse was a daily feature, so this was not so bad.

Troy was Hester's lover, and even if he too got smacked around from time to time, he had a bit of authority in the household. Alex and Eric – the third boy in the pack – became friends, and together they kept the house clean and tidy. Ever so often they both had to suffer through a few sessions of serious torture, but knowing that they would heal – physically – it was bearable.

He rarely had any interaction with the girls. Alex did his best to avoid them. Hester herself was abusive and sometimes horribly rigid, but at least they knew where they had her. Joy and Jade were spoiled little brats, and could be extremely unpredictable.

At the moment Alex knew that he was in danger. He was pretty sure he would be dead before the week was over, and he just hoped it would happen swiftly. It wasn't like he'd given up; he really wanted to live, but he knew that Hester wouldn't rest until she was sure he was snuffed out.

There was a sliver of hope in his mind. He'd just have to convince Derek Hale that he was going to be loyal to him, and that he could help them conquer Hester's pack. Alex knew he would have to start talking, but speaking to the Alpha without being addressed was unheard of in Hester's house.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Isaac unlocked the cuffs and watched as Alex slowly got up from the floor. He gestured for him to move towards the bathroom, and made sure to stay a few feet away. It wasn't like he was scared of the guy; he could easily overpower him, but if Alex made an attempt to attack, they would have to kill him, and Isaac didn't want Alex dead.

As they walked to the bathroom, Isaac could smell that Alex could use a shower. It wasn't a rancid scent, and it didn't bother him too much, but he was pretty sure that Alex at least would want a change of clothes. He also had the stench of Hester lingering around his body.

Alex entered the bathroom and seemed to wait for Isaac to follow him, but Isaac just left the door ajar and turned his back to it. Even a prisoner was entitled to a minimum of privacy. "Do we have any clothes that will fit him?" Isaac addressed Stiles and Derek while he was listening to Alex taking a leak. "I mean..." He nodded towards the door. "Maybe we should... he should... he smells like her."

Derek and Stiles looked at each other, before Stiles spoke. "My clothes can possibly fit him." He turned to Derek. "He's about my size, isn't he?" He gestured for Derek to get his bag. "I'm sure I have something."

Derek decided that it would be okay to let Alex take a shower. The bathroom didn't have any windows; he couldn't escape from there, so letting him be in there alone for an extended period of time wouldn't make a difference.

A half hour later Alex came out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped loosely around his waist. His tan skin was glistening with droplets running from his wet hair. He wasn't very tall, and he looked even smaller when he just stood there staring at the floor. Suddenly Isaac felt the urge to run over and wrap his arms around him. It had nothing to do with sexual attraction – sort of – it was more a wish to get closer to that beautiful flawless body.


	37. Chapter 37

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Derek meets Allison, he instantly knows that something is not right. Chris doesn't want his daughter dead, so he agrees to Derek's plan. Scott worries about how to protect Mr Stilinski and his mom. Derek leaves the decision to Allison. Alex is finally talking. Isaac gets jealous. Stiles learn something about Alex , but is still not sure if he can be trusted. Melissa has a near-death experience, but Scott saves her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, no Sterek moment. My main concern now is how to save Allison, so please hang in there.

It was getting late when almost everybody finally managed to meet up at the loft. Scott and Melissa were still at the hospital with Mr Stilinski, and they were urged to stay put.

The moment Allison walked inside, Derek stared at her and took a deep breath through his nose. She shook her head vigorously when she realized that it would be impossible to hide the truth from him. She could literally see his jaw drop before he collected himself.

"So Hester is in town? How do you know? Did you see her?" Derek was addressing both Chis and his daughter, but his eyes were fixed on Allison.

Allison almost crumbled under the stare. She knew that he knew – or at least that he suspected what had happened. She knew that he could smell Hester on her, just like she could smell her on him. She didn't know if he'd be able to sense that she'd been bitten, but chances were that he did.

"We did. We saw her." Allison and her dad had made up a story on how they'd spotted her outside the house before she took off without doing anything. "We think she came to scout us out."

Derek gave her an almost invisible nod, but she could see that he didn't believe her. She wondered if this was a regular werewolf feature, or if Derek was particularly skilled in sniffing out his own kind. She tried to find out if there were any significant differences in the scent the rest of her friends emitted, but she couldn't. Lydia's scent was partially covered with perfume; Isaac smelled like... detergent and Stiles just smelled like... Derek.

Except for the fragrances they were covered in, she could also smell that they emitted something that was unique to each one of them. She didn't know if there was a difference. She didn't know if there was a difference between humans and werewolves. She'd never really noticed their personal scents before.

"Let's get down to business." Chris pushed past her and strode over to the couch. "Hester knows where we all live now, and I'm guessing that it's just a matter of time before she comes back." He slumped down next to Stiles. "We know what we're dealing with, we just have to find her weakness." He panned the room, and when he noticed Alex sitting next to the radiator, he sighed. "That guy should be able to help us."

Allison cocked her head and looked at the guy. He didn't look anything like a werewolf. She approached him and could see that his eyes widened when she squatted in front of him. "You smell like her." The whisper was almost inaudible, but Allison heard it loud and clear. She didn't know if he was on their side, but she lifted a finger to her lips, hoping that he'd get the meaning.

His eyes flickered a little, before a faint smirk appeared on his face. Allison held her breath, but then Alex lowered his gaze and nodded.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Scott didn't know what to do. His mom's shift was almost over, but they were kind of stuck at the hospital regardless. He wanted to be with the rest of the pack at the loft, but was forced to protect Mr Stilinski. He got a little surprised by himself referring to their group as a pack, but it came natural.

"Get my gun. I can defend myself." Scott got startled when the sheriff spoke. His voice was demanding. "I'm not a baby; you don't need to watch over me." Scott stared at him and thought about the option for a second, but then he sighed. "Mr Stilinski. I'm sure you could, but we don't know what we're up against. They are many, and if they all come, you wouldn't stand a chance." He shook his head. "A bullet wouldn't necessarily stop them."

The sheriff scoffed. "But you and your mom could? I doubt that." Scott thought about it, and he knew that Stiles' dad had a point. There was no way he could fight Hester's pack if they came. It should be possible to defeat a few of them, but four of five werewolves would be too much to handle.

"You're right, we can't. We have to change the plan." He started pacing, and tried to come up with an idea on how to deal with the situation. When nothing came to mind, he picked out his phone and called Derek. He regarded Derek as their leader at the moment, and he could possibly find a solution to this dilemma.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Alex watched them as they gathered around the table. He recognized the girl from the parking lot and realized that he'd been seriously fooled. She was just a human, and he'd let down his guard when he encountered her. It didn't matter so much anymore. If Hester got her claws in him again, he would be dead. One more mistake wouldn't change that.

He also recognized Stiles – obviously Derek's mate – from the hospital. He seemed nice, but Alex couldn't understand how an Alpha could have a human mate. He already knew who Chris was. He'd recognized him the moment he saw him at the hospital. Hester had showed them pictures of him. She'd been searching for the guy since her brother got killed, and they were all urged to keep an eye out for him. Alex was baffled by the fact that a werewolf hunter would collaborate with this pack.

The only person in there that he didn't remember seeing before was that girl, Allison. The moment she walked through the door, he'd guessed that this was Chris Argent's daughter. She was also a hunter and a target for Hester's revenge. When she came over to him, he'd immediately discovered that she was lying to her friends. If it was true that she and her dad only spotted Hester outside their house, she wouldn't be reeking of her. That Derek didn't notice was a surprise, but then again, he also had her scent on him.

When she urged him to keep it a secret, he decided to do so. Alex had a strange feeling that keeping on her good side was crucial to his survival. He didn't know why, but it was partially because there was an atmosphere of leadership around her, and he sensed that this girl could be vicious to her enemies.

Alex had to admit to himself that this was the weirdest concoction of people he'd ever encountered. Hunters and werewolves being friends was unheard of, and in Hester's world, humans were looked upon as trash.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Derek's phone rang and when he discovered who it was from, he just handed the phone to Allison. "It's your boyfriend. You deal with him." She took it and walked over to the kitchen area. She knew that the werewolves in there would be able to hear the conversation regardless, but she had pretend that she wasn't aware of it.

When she learned the reason for his call, she turned to the others. "I think we have a problem. What if Hester and her pack comes to the hospital? Scott can't fight them all." She panned the room before she let her eyes rest on Stiles. "You're dad is much better, maybe he should be here, with us." Stiles seemed to startle a little, but then he collected himself. "I think that's a good idea. Derek, what do you say?"

Derek didn't get a chance to reply before Allison continued. "Melissa can come too, she's a nurse, she can take care of him." She looked around. "This place is big, we can just all camp here until the danger is over." Stiles was nodding vigorously. "Yeah, yeah, I agree. We should definitely get everybody together here. It's the only way. I mean..." He looked at Derek. "You have to say yes. It's your place, but... but..." He had to draw his breath giving Derek an opportunity to get a word in. "It's okay. Good call, Allison."

From that moment on, there was a change in rank at the loft. Allison had suddenly taken charge and even if Derek got the final words on this issue, he seemed relieved to let her take the lead. "Should we let them get here on their own, or would it be better if we picked them up?" Derek changed his gaze between Allison and Stiles, as if the two of them ran this show together.

"I can do it." Chris stepped forwards and lifted his hand with the car keys. "My car is more suited for transporting Mr Stilinski." He shrugged. "Will you come with me?" He'd turned to his daughter.

Allison thought about it for a second before she shook her head. "No, I will stay. You and Derek can go. Isaac and I can protect the others." She threw a peek at Alex. "He will help us. I think we can trust him."

After unloading an arsenal of weapons from Chris' car, Allison gave her dad a hug. "Thank you for not... you know. Take care."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

In the car on their way to the hospital, Derek kept peeking over at Chris. He wasn't sure if he should say the words that was on the tip of his tongue, but when they reached their destination and Chris was about to exit, Derek stopped him. "What happened? I know you guys lied about Hester. What really happened?"

Chris shrugged and tried to play it cool. "Nothing, we spotted her outside, and when she noticed us in the window, she took off." He tried to get out of the car again, but then Derek grabbed his sleeve and forced him back in the seat. "You think I'm stupid. I could smell Hester on your daughter. I could smell..." He didn't finish the sentence because to his surprise, Chris covered his face with his hands and leaned on the steering wheel. "Well, she came to the door, we had to fight her off." Derek wasn't sure, but he could have sworn he heard a sniffle from the guy.

"She got bit, didn't she?" He wasn't sure how to comfort the guy, but decided to just sit back and wait for a response. It took a couple of minutes for Chris to recover. He sighed heavily as he nodded. "She did. She bit my little girl. I have to kill her."

Derek didn't know if Chris was referring to Hester or Allison, but knowing a few things about the hunter's code, it wouldn't surprise him if he was talking about his daughter. "Chris! Relax! It's not the end of the world."

The look he got from the hunter was slightly intimidating, but he didn't let himself be thrown off. "I'll help her. Maybe we can find a cure." Chris shook his head. "There's no cure. You know that. I understand that you're trying to be helpful, but forget it. Allison doesn't want to become a werewolf. She begged me to kill her."

Derek gave Chris a lopsided smile. "But you're not going to. You're trying to find a way to avoid doing it, and I can help you." He sighed heavily. "Let's do what we came here to do, but then you should leave town. Get as far away as you possibly can, and wait for my call."

When Chris again tried to get out of the car, Derek didn't stop him. He exited too, and as they walked up to the hospital, Chris turned to him. "Tell me how. How will you rescue my daughter?"

Before they entered the building, Derek stopped and turned to the hunter. "I'm gonna keep her busy until the full moon, and then, I'm gonna help her through the final transition. I may have to use force, so I don't want you around to stop me." He paused to make sure Chris understood. "There's nothing I can do if she decides to kill herself before that, but I will do everything in my power to prevent it." He drew his breath. "When it's over, her mind will have changed. She might still be conflicted, but as a werewolf, she'll develop a survival instinct that will overpower her wish to die."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

As soon as Chris and Derek had left, Allison walked over to Alex and sat down next to him. "Tell me about her. Tell us how to defeat her." Knowing that the guy had barely opened his mouth to speak since they brought him there, Isaac didn't expect him to say anything to Allison either, so it surprised him greatly when Alex started talking. For some reason, it made him jealous also.

Isaac listened as Alex gave Allison a short introduction to Hester's pack. When he mentioned a guy named Eric; it was with a fondness in his voice that made Isaac squirm. "She has a weakness. I mean... technically two." Alex giggled a little and gave Allison a shy smile. "Her hate towards your dad is probably the most important one. It could cause her to act a little erratic and make a mistake."

Isaac wasn't quite sure, but it looked like Alex was smirking for a split second before he continued. "Derek Hale is her other weakness. She want's him. Sexually, whatever, I don't know, but she want's him alive and possibly in her bed." He shrugged a little. "Maybe not anymore. She's probably seriously embarrassed about the recent events, so she might just want to kill him also."

Alex sighed heavily and leaned against the wall. "Me, of course. She wants to kill me too. If she thought I was a real prisoner, she could have tried to rescue me, but I guess she knows that I begged them to take me, so I'm practically dead." A ghost of a smile traveled across his lips. "I screwed up big-time, so she would probably have killed me regardless."

Through the whole time since she came in, Lydia had kept quiet. Isaac had noticed that she'd seemed scared, but there hadn't really been any time to take care of her. She'd been sitting on the couch with Stiles during Alex' little speech. Now she leaned forward, and looked at the guy. "How can you so easily change alliances? How do we know you're not planted to infiltrate and conquer?"

Alex chuckled a little. "Look at me! Who could I conquer? I could possibly overpower you and Stiles there, but come on..." He shook his head. "I have nothing to gain by lying to you. If you think about it, you'll understand." He threw a peek at Isaac. "I never in my wildest dreams believed that they would actually save me from her, but..." He hitched his breath and hurried to wipe a tear out of his eye. "It was an act of kindness that I hope I'll be able to repay."

Alex looked at Isaac as the words was uttered, and Isaac could feel a blush coming on. He tried to turn away, but he felt pinned down by the Alex' stare. It lasted only a couple of seconds, and he hoped nobody else had noticed.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"Okay, you guys. I came back for the exam, and I'm going to take it." Lydia sounded a little annoyed. "And my parents are expecting me to come back to grandma after." She looked at Stiles and Allison. "Aren't you two having the exam also?"

Stiles turned to her and shrugged. "I guess. We should. I don't know what's going to happen, but I think we should." He too looked at Allison as if she could make a decision for all of them. Allison didn't see the point. She would be dead soon, and taking that exam would just be a waste of time.

"I don't know. It could be dangerous for us to go outside." She didn't want the other two to know about her own struggles, and for them, the exam was quite important. "We'll figure something out." If she had to do it just to make sure Stiles and Lydia could, she would find a way. That meant postponing the inevitable, but it wouldn't matter. The full moon wasn't until Wednesday, so she had time.

The most troubling part was that as time passed, she got more and more conflicted. She tried to push the survival instinct away and focus on her obligation. Knowing that her mom must have gone through the same, Allison felt weak for even thinking about living a life as a werewolf.

She worried what would happen when Scott arrived. If Derek could smell that she'd been bitten, chances were that Scott would too. She decided to take a shower. She needed to get rid of Hester's scent. It could do the trick, but she wasn't convinced.

Alex wouldn't say anything, she was quite sure of that. Even if he had a smirk on his face when he discovered that they'd lied about the encounter with Hester, it seemed like he was eager to please Allison.

Isaac hadn't commented on it at all. Allison had made sure not to get too close to him, but she was surprised that he didn't even mentioned the scent. Allison couldn't possibly know that Isaac was going through his own set of conflicts, and was unable to even care about what went on with the others.

She picked up the bag she'd brought from her house. Allison had packed a few changes of clothes just to please her dad. She was pretty sure she wouldn't be needing a lot of them, dressing up for death wasn't necessary.

"I'm taking a shower." She'd dug out a pair of pajama-pants and a T-shirt. "We're not going anywhere today, so I'm going to get comfortable." She gave her friends a smile as she entered the bathroom. "I'm gonna be quick."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Stiles felt slightly ignored. It was very uncomfortable. He wasn't used to this. With everything that had happened lately, he was strangely in lack of words. It bothered him greatly.

Allison acted like she was the leader of this makeshift pack, and it annoyed him. He wanted Derek to be in charge. Derek would listen to him and take his suggestions into consideration. He felt that his status had dropped significantly. He couldn't understand why Derek so easily stepped down and let Allison run the show.

Lydia didn't seem to care. She was obviously eager to get out of there; she just had to do that exam first. Isaac was in his own little world, pacing around trying to avoid talking to anybody. Stiles knew that Isaac was responsible for Alex being there, and he wondered if the guy regretted it. Alex could easily be a liability.

If what Alex had told Allison was correct, it wouldn't really change much, but he could be lying. He'd screwed up big time. Maybe he wanted to get back to Hester. Maybe he would try to get on her good side again.

Stiles threw a quick peek at him. Alex was sitting on the floor picking on the hem of his shirt. Hair was partially covering his eyes, but Stiles could see that he was watching them from under the curls. He was intimidatingly good looking, and again Stiles felt the little pinch of jealousy.

He startled a little when he noticed that Alex stared right at him, before he hurried to lower his gaze. Then he turned his head and looked at Isaac standing by the kitchen counter. He smiled shyly and nodded, as he again threw a quick peek at Stiles.

Stiles looked at Isaac, before he turned to Alex again. He wasn't sure what that little gesture meant, but it could seem like Alex was trying to tell him something. He pondered on it for a second, and then it struck him. The guy wanted Isaac, not Derek. Maybe Alex had noticed that Stiles was intimidated by his presence, and wanted to show him that he was no threat to Derek's and Stiles' relationship.

Again, Stiles looked at Isaac. The way he'd behaved around Alex had been strange and puzzling. 'Maybe Isaac was bothered because Alex had tried to hit on him?' Stiles wondered. 'Or maybe it was quite the opposite.' He could be bothered by the fact that Alex hadn't hit on him.

Stiles decided to keep this to himself for the time being. He wanted to see how this panned out. Knowing that he possibly shared an intimate secret with Alex, made him feel a little better. He felt like he was in the loop again.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Melissa didn't react when the door opened slowly. The swooshy sound was too faint for her to hear. She had her back turned towards it, as she detached the saline drip from Mr Stilinski's hand. Scott had popped out for a second to find a wheelchair, since they expected to be picked up shortly.

When the sheriff's eyes widened in horror, as he stared at something behind her, Melissa turned quickly. She almost fell backwards onto the bed when she saw the man standing in front of her. He sneered at her with a wolflike face. "Melissa McCall, I presume?" He said as he reached his hand out and grabbed her by the throat.

She wanted to scream, but he held on so tight that she couldn't even take a small breath. She could feel claws digging into the back of her neck, as she with her hands tried to find something to defend herself with. She knew that if he kept the pressure on her neck for very much longer, she'd pass out shortly; either from mere lack of oxygen, or from not getting enough blood to her brain.

Melissa didn't know, but when Allison left the hospital that morning, she'd slipped a taser gun under the sheriff's pillow. Mr Stilinski knew, and he managed to dig it out. It wasn't a perfect weapon to fight werewolves, but it could throw the attacker off.

Melissa didn't know what happened when the guy suddenly released her and grabbed his own chest. She could see the thin wires as he pulled the electrodes out of his skin, before he reached out to grab her again. He didn't manage to do much more. A loud howl from the door startled them all. Scott rushed through the door with a wheelchair in front of him. He hit the back of the werewolf's knees, causing him to fall backwards into the chair. With both hands, Scott grabbed his head and with a swift twist he broke the guy's neck.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Scott knew that they didn't have much time. The commotion must have alerted some of the staff. His mom was partially lying over Mr Stilinski heaving for breath, and couldn't be at any help at the moment.

Scott lifted the werewolf off the chair, and practically threw him to the other side of the bed. He was still visible from the door, but after a quick rearrangement of the furniture, it wasn't so obvious. The whole thing had taken only a few seconds, and just as a nurse came through the door, Scott lifted his mom off the bed and rushed towards him. "She got attacked by a maniac. How could a mental patient get in here? Don't you lock them up?"

The nurse tried to look over Scott's shoulder, but Scott just moved forward forcing the guy to retract from the room. "She need's medical attention; look at her." Bruises were already starting to appear around his mom's neck, and blood was seeping out from the wounds in the back.

Everything had happened so fast, that Melissa herself hadn't had a chance to react. Now, she squirmed in her son's arms. "I'm fine, I'll be fine. Put me down." She stared at the nurse as Scott loosened his grip on her and let her stand on her own feet. "I'll be fine, just get some bandages."

Even if she still was a little woozy from the incident, Melissa insisted on waiting outside the door to the room while the nurse went to get bandages. Scott understood that she was doing it to stand guard while he was trying to find a way to get rid of the werewolf.

He hadn't recognized him at first, but as he maneuvered him back into the wheelchair, he remembered him as one of the guys that escaped from the garage. Sheriff Stilinski seemed to be in lack of words, and when Scott tugged at his blanket, he just unwrapped himself from it and sighed.

After a few minutes of trying and failing, Scott finally managed to make it look like the guy was sleeping in the chair. He could hear that his mom was talking with the nurse outside, but they didn't come in.

Another few minutes went by before Melissa peeked inside the room. She nodded when she saw the guy wrapped up in a hospital blanket. "It'll work, I'll get him out."

Before Scott got a chance to respond, she turned and looked down the hall. A sigh of relief escaped her, before she turned to her son again. "Chris and Derek are here. Let's get this show on the road."


	38. Chapter 38

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How to get rid of a dead werewolf - the sequel. No quite.
> 
> Having everybody in the loft calls for some logistics, but it works out. Isaac is disturbed by his feelings for Alex. Derek plans how to save Allison, and gets the long-con in motion.
> 
> I will update soon. Saving Allison is now my main concern. Sorry, no smut.

Isaac was pacing. He knew that Lydia and Stiles were watching him from the couch. Alex was sitting quietly in his corner, staring out the window. The sound of streaming water came from the bathroom where Allison was taking a shower. He wanted to go over to Alex and sit down with him, but he didn't trust himself. The weird thoughts he'd had in his mind lately disturbed him.

The fact that Alex had actually spoken with Allison – and even exchanged a few words with Derek and Lydia – made Isaac a little jealous. Not because they'd talked with him; it was more because Isaac himself didn't dare to try.

The look Alex had given him when he mentioned repaying them for saving him, was also quite intimidating. Isaac wasn't sure what Alex meant by that, but it had been somewhat suggesting.

He tried to justify his own feelings with the fact that Alex looked like a girl. With the long curly hair and the full lips – moist and inviting – oops! Isaac almost slapped himself. He was not gay, no, never, not even a little bit, or maybe a little bit, but he didn't want to, like, be with a guy. He'd never ever given it a second thought.

That wasn't quite true either. Isaac had always been curious, but it had been on a very platonic level. He could admire a male body just as easily as a girls, but he'd never thought for a second that he could be sexually attracted to a boy. He wasn't sexually attracted to Alex either. It wasn't like he wanted to jump him and have his way with him. No, no way.

It was just... If he could just wrap his arm over the guy's shoulder and hold him. Maybe tug him closer and rub his cheek against those adorable curls, and... Isaac started sweating. He didn't dare to throw even a small peek in Alex' direction. He was afraid that if he met those brown gorgeous eyes, Alex would be able to read him like an open book.

Stiles and Lydia weren't paying attention to him anymore. They were playing a card game as they discussed the exam they both were having tomorrow. Isaac moved slowly over to the kitchen area. He needed a drink, preferably something strong.

-o-o-o-o-o-

It wasn't the easiest task to get the dead werewolf out of the hospital. Wheeling him out through the main entrance wasn't an option, so Melissa had come up with a plan. Chris had parked his car in a shaded spot near a backdoor that was rarely in use. Melissa and Derek brought the guy to the basement and had to walk through dim lit corridors before they finally found the exit.

Derek had been a little concerned about the sleeping arrangements in the loft, so while they were down there, Melissa unlocked a storage room and took a couple of old mattresses and a pile of sheets and pillows.

They'd managed to get out of there without being spotted, and after loading up the car, Chris drove to the front of the building to pick up Scott and the sheriff. After that, they took a detour to the McCall house and picked up a few things for Scott and Melissa. Then, they went to sheriff Stilinski's house to get some clothes for him too.

When they arrived at Derek's place, Mr Stilinski insisted on walking up the stairs by himself. "Like father like son." Derek huffed out quietly, as he ran upstairs ahead of the others with a stack of sheets in his arms.

Scott and Chris brought the mattresses and the pillows, while Melissa was hanging back with the sheriff.

Chris dumped his load in the middle of the floor before he walked over to his daughter. "There was an incident." He threw a quick peek at Alex. "Maybe we should go outside." He gestured for Derek to follow them and half way down the stairs, they met up with Mrs McCall and Mr Stilinski. They threw a smile at them before they continued down.

They'd decided not to tell the others anything about the werewolf encounter at the hospital. Eventually it would be revealed, but not with Alex as a keen listener. Not until they knew they could trust him. Allison needed to know because if they were going to give a plausible explanation to Chris' disappearance, they had to tell her.

"I'm gonna go and get rid of the body. It could take a while." Chris looked at his daughter. He had a hard time keeping a straight face. If this failed, it would be the last time he'd see her alive. "I'll be back, but don't worry if I'm not here by morning. Concentrate on that exam and take care of your friends."

Allison stared at him. "You're going alone? You shouldn't." She turned to Derek. "Don't you agree?" Derek shook his head. "I think it's better this way. If anything happens, we need everybody to stay together." He shrugged. "Tomorrow, we need enough people to keep you guys safe at school too."

It was perfectly clear that Allison didn't like the idea at all, but eventually she agreed. "Okay. It makes sense. But make sure you're not followed, and if so, you have to come back here immediately." She threw her arms around her dad's neck. "Be careful, and I'll see you tomorrow."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

While they were waiting for the others to come back, and after Allison was done in the shower, she, Stiles, and Lydia had worked on the logistics regarding the sleeping arrangements. They'd been a little concerned about not having enough beds, but when Derek and the others came back with the stuff from the hospital, that problem was solved.

Derek didn't really care where everybody slept. He knew that sleeping in his own bed with Stiles by his side could be a little awkward with the sheriff there, so he was willing to hear them out.

"Well we," Lydia cleared her throat before she continued. "Derek, your bed is huge. We figured that Allison, me, and Melissa could share that." She cocked her head and smiled shyly. When Derek just shrugged, she kept going. "Mr Stilinski can have Isaac's room, and if he needs someone there with him, Stiles can do that." She looked at the sheriff. "We didn't know what shape you were in, Sir, so we..." She threw her hand out. "It's really up to you."

Nobody commented on that suggestion either. "Well, then it's you guys. You have to find a place to crash in here. With the mattresses from the hospital it'll be okay, right?" She shifted her gaze between all of them, before she turned to Derek again. "If you have a couple more blankets, it would be good."

After a little back and forth about who'd get the couch, everybody seemed to be okay with the plan. "What about him?" Isaac pointed at Alex. "You didn't count him in." He stared at Allison and Lydia. The girls looked at each other. It seemed like they'd totally forgot about the prisoner.

"He can sleep on the floor. He's probably experienced much worse. I think he'll be fine there." Derek took a few steps towards him. "We're going to put the cuffs back on, but you'll be okay there, right?" Alex nodded and pointed to the blanket and the pillow Isaac had provided him with earlier. "I can keep that?" He didn't wait for an answer. "I'll be fine, uh, Sir."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

It was quiet at the loft. If somebody had listened carefully, they would only hear several people breathing as if they were asleep. It wasn't quite so. The seemingly relaxed atmosphere was riddled with disturbing thoughts.

Allison was staring into the darkness in Derek's room. She could hear Lydia and Melissa sleep soundly on the bed. She'd volunteered to sleep on the floor. Even if the bed was big enough for all three of them, she knew that she would turn and twist through the night, and she didn't want to disturb them too much.

It wasn't the most comfortable bed – she only had the dark fluffy carpet under her – but she knew she wouldn't sleep much regardless. In the silence of the night, Allison thought about how to kill herself. She was pretty sure that her dad wouldn't do it. She'd seen it in his face.

The timing for this was another issue. She didn't want to jeopardize Lydia and Stiles' exam, so she would wait it out until that was over. She also wanted to be able to say goodbye to her dad.

Last night she'd done her best to stay away from Scott, and she knew that he'd noticed. She worried about what he was thinking, but she couldn't risk getting too close. As soon as Derek had agreed on the sleeping arrangements, she'd yawned and excused herself. Before Scott got a chance to say anything, she'd pulled Lydia with her to Derek's room and closed the door.

As Allison was going through her options, Derek was struggling with his his own thoughts.

Taking out Hester could be difficult. They had no idea about when she'd show up. Derek had been quite convinced that she would never just come crashing though the window or anything, but after what happened at the Argent house, he wasn't too sure.

Hester was probably seriously pissed off, and had made a mistake. Leaving Allison Argent alive could possibly be the worst mistake she'd ever made. Derek's main concern at the moment was how he could tie the girl down and get her through the transformation.

Alex wasn't sleeping either. It wasn't because the sleeping arrangements didn't suit him. Sleeping on the floor was okay. He'd lived on the streets for years, and even if he'd spent the last few months in a home with beds, he felt quite comfortable at the moment.

He was a little concerned about the future. If Hester got her hands on him, he would be dead, and he was pretty sure Derek Hale and his pack wouldn't save him again. None of them would risk their lives for him, not even Isaac.

Isaac was sleeping by the window only a few feet away. If Alex scooted a little over and reached out with his free hand, he could actually have touched him. He didn't dare. It could be perceived as an attempt to attack. He wasn't quite sure, but it sounded like Isaac was also awake.

Isaac was awake, at least partially. He'd been drifting in and out of sleep for a while, because he had his own set of disturbing thoughts in his head.

So went the night.

-o-o-o-o-o-

After a simple breakfast, they'd decided that it would be okay to send Allison, Stiles and Lydia on their way without a bodyguard. They didn't expect Hester to attack them at school. If so, she'd possibly have to kill quite a few other students, and Derek was pretty sure that she wouldn't want to reveal herself as a werewolf in the community.

They'd decided to take Isaac's car. It was old and dingy, and none of them were very skilled with the stick shift, so the ride to school was interesting. It was consensus in the pack about not using the Jeep or the Camaro. The two cars were too easily recognizable.

Stiles' injured foot was a concern. He was unable to run away and hide if it came to that. "I couldn't outrun a werewolf anyway." Stiles had shrugged. "It'll be fine. The girls will help me to my seat."

After their departure, Derek had been on the phone for a long time. He'd turned the music up high and locked himself into his room to make sure that the other three werewolves wouldn't be able to hear the conversation.

Chris had checked into a motel up in Oregon, and at the moment he was busy trying to find out everything he could about Hester. "I'd rather be there with my little girl. I'm afraid she'll do something stupid." Derek knew perfectly well what kind of stupid thing Chris was referring to. "I'll keep her busy. According to the others, she had a long conversation with Alex. I'll try to convince her that she's the only one he'll talk to."

Derek wasn't sure on how to do that, but it was worth a try. "She's also very protective of her friends, and I'm going to use that for all it's worth. She's not going to off herself in their presence." Did Chris actually whimper a little at the other end? Derek chose to ignore it, and then Chris cleared his throat. "But it's more than two days. Two days you have to watch her twenty-four-seven. It's going to be an almost impossible task." Allison's father had a tremble in his voice, but Derek chose to ignore that too. He didn't want to embarrass the guy.

"You don't know? Didn't you check? The full moon is at its peak early Wednesday morning. I will have to trap her tomorrow night. Possibly late afternoon. It's only a little more than a day away." Derek wondered if Allison herself was aware of this. Knowing that there would be a full moon on Wednesday, she could also have thought it was in the evening. "I'll try to trick her to believe that she has more time. Hopefully she won't check it herself."

After planning what to tell Allison regarding her dad's disappearance, they hung up. Derek wanted to get this in motion fast. He wished that he could let Stiles in on it. His mate was smarter than most, and could possibly have perfected the plan and made it waterproof.

Derek joined the others. They were all staring at him wondering what the secrecy was all about. He didn't know what to say at first, but then he nodded towards Alex. "Chris is trying to find out more about... you know. We just didn't want him to hear. I'll fill you in later." He hated lying, but he knew he would have to do that for another day and a half.

Melissa tapped his shoulder and pointed to the kitchen. "You don't have enough food for all of us. With so many people trapped here in this place, we'll run out before nightfall." The news should have been disturbing, but Derek chose to use it to his own advantage. Part of his plan required some alone-time with Alex. "Scott and Isaac can get supplies. Let's make a list."

After being so adamant about keeping the pack together, they all got a little surprised by Derek's suggestion. "Is that so wise? What if she shows up here with her pack." Scott shook his head. "You'll be outnumbered."

Derek shrugged. "She showed up at daytime and got spotted. I don't think she's going to risk that again. She made a mistake, and she knows it. Attacking in broad daylight is not her MO." He turned to Alex. "Am I right?"

Alex seemed to startle a little from the direct question, but then he nodded slowly. "It's important for her to keep up appearances. I'm pretty sure she won't do anything in public."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Alex had been watching them while they made a list. For some reason, Derek seemed eager to get the boys out of there in a hurry, and he agreed to almost everything they wanted to add. As soon as Scott and Isaac were gone, Derek suggested that Melissa could make sure that Mr Stilinski was okay. The guy hadn't been out of Isaac's room since last night, but as far as Alex knew, he was already much better.

"We need to talk." Derek came over and sat down next to him on the floor. "I need your help. I will choose to trust you." He leaned over and unlocked the cuffs, before he took a deep breath. "I think you know what happened with Allison."

Alex wasn't sure how to respond. He didn't really know what had happened when the girl encountered Hester, but this direct question gave him a clue. "Well, yeah, I guess." He stared into the ground and shrugged. "She got bit, didn't she?"

They were whispering, and without any werewolves nearby, it wasn't very likely that anyone could hear them. Derek kept an eyes on the door to Isaac's room while he continued. "She is adamant about killing herself, but I'm going to save her." He nodded slowly as if he had to convince himself that he was doing the right thing. "I have to keep her busy, and that's were you come in." Derek thew him a quick glance before he focused on Isaac's door again.

"You want me to rebel or something?" Alex didn't want to risk his own life for the girl, but knew that if Derek was going to trust him fully, he had to be ready to do whatever he was told to do. Derek shook his head and smiled a little lopsided. "No, nothing of the sort. I need you to be quiet and withdrawn. I need you to not speak to anyone but her."

Alex stared at him a little puzzled. "So, just do as I've done so far?" It didn't sound to hard, although he was eager to actually strike up a conversation with Isaac; Derek's demand should be easy to follow. "I can do that, but how's that going to help?"

They could both hear Melissa's voice when she offered to get the sheriff a drink. Derek froze up for a second, but then he turned to Alex. "She has to believe that we need her to interrogate you. We need her to believe that she's the only one that can make you talk."

He didn't wait for Alex to respond. In a split second, he'd got up from the floor and when Melissa emerged, he was by the kitchen counter pouring coffee. She grabbed a water bottle from the fridge and headed back without a word.

Derek didn't waste any time. He rushed back to Alex and leaned over. "We also have to convince her that the full moon is on Wednesday evening. I don't know if she's checked, so it could be futile." He stared into Alex' eyes and squinted. Alex gave him a small smile and nodded. "I see. I can do that. I want to be trusted. I promise you I'll do my best." He looked away for a moment before he cleared his throat. "Even as a prisoner, I feel more respected here than I ever felt in her, uh, in Hester's house."


	39. Chapter 39

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So far, Derek's plan seems to be working. Allison is happy to hang with Alex. She tries to find out more about the werewolf senses, because she worries that Scott will sniff out that she got bit. Scott and Isaac are not comfortable with seeing Allison and Alex together.
> 
> As an attempt to lighten the mood , they are watching comedies. It works for a while. Alex wants to please Derek and has to push Isaac away, it's taking it's toll on him. Stiles feels left out, and he doesn't know why. Hester is struggling with her own problems.

Keeping away from Scott wasn't going to be easy. Last night, Allison had faked being too tired, but today it would be almost impossible to not interact with him. After the exam was over, she and Stiles had taken Lydia home. She hadn't even bothered to get inside; she'd just entered her own car and taken off. With a promise to keep her updated on everything, they'd watched her drive away to join her family.

Allison wanted to ask Derek about the wolf-senses. She needed to know if Scott would be able to smell the wolf in her, but she wasn't quite sure if Derek really knew about the bite either. The only thing that was perfectly clear was that he'd sensed that she and her dad had lied about the encounter with Hester.

When they came back to the loft, Isaac and Scott were out getting supplies. Melissa was in Isaac's room with Mr Stilinski. The door was open and they could hear the two of them talking and laughing.

Their prisoner – Alex – wasn't cuffed, but he was sitting quietly in his corner seemingly indulged in his own thoughts.

It had been quite a struggle to get up the stairs. Stiles took his time, but had refused any help, and the second they entered, he'd just slumped down on the floor by the door, totally exhausted. Derek rushed over to him and carried him to the couch, disregarding Stiles' protests.

As soon as Stiles was seated, Derek waved Allison over and pointed at Alex. "We have a bit of a problem." He sighed and looked at her. "I tried to interrogate him, but he refuses to talk to anyone but you." Allison shifted her gaze between Derek and Alex, before she ran her fingers through her hair and shook her head in disbelief. "Why? That makes no sense."

Derek shrugged. "I don't know why. I could always try to force him to talk, but for some reason I don't think it'll work." He threw his hands out and rolled his eyes. "Maybe because you're a girl." He shrugged again. "I really don't know. You'd have to ask him."

For Allison this came as a gift. If she had to sit there with Alex to get him to talk, she wouldn't have to interact with the others so much. She would have a good reason to stay away from Scott. At least it would give her time.

She looked at Alex, and as if he could feel her eyes on him, he lifted his head and stared at her. She cocked her head and gave him a small smile. He hurried to lower his gaze, but she could see that he was still watching her from under the curls partially covering his eyes.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Alex hadn't yet come up with a good reason for why he would only talk with Allison; he would just play it by ear. He hadn't decided if he should tell her that he knew about the bite either, but for the time being he would keep it to himself.

"Why?" Allison asked before she handed him a can of soda and slumped down next to him. "Why me?" He took the drink and opened it slowly, to give himself time to think. "You know that the others, uh, I mean the werewolves in here will hear us regardless." She opened her own can and took a sip as she practically pierced him with her eyes.

"I know, but you trusted me. You trusted me with a secret, and I just want to repay you." He was amazed by how fast he'd come up with this makeshift explanation. "They, uh, I think they want trust me, but I can't really feel it."

Allison leaned back against the wall and seemed to think about it for a moment. She threw a quick peek at Derek, but he was busy making sure Stiles was comfortable, and didn't seem to pay attention to them at all. "Can you guys sniff out werewolves? I mean if you didn't know, would you be able to tell that, that, Isaac, for instance, is one?" Alex could see that she kept an eye on Derek while she spoke.

He shrugged and followed her line of view. "Maybe. Maybe if I suspected it. Alphas have a keener sense for this, but I think they have to know where to look, or sniff." He wanted to chuckle, but managed to keep it inside. "They would have to be close though. I mean, unless... If they knew there was a werewolf in the room, an Alpha would be able to pick him out, but... My guess is as good as yours."

When Allison turned to him again, she let out a little sigh of relief. Alex dared to reach his hand out and pat her shoulder. "You don't smell like her anymore. I can't tell if you got bit or not. I can guess, but, no." He shook his head. "I don't need to know."

They were both quiet for a while. Alex wondered if he should mention the full moon already, or if it was better to wait it out. When Allison didn't make any attempt to talk again, he nudged her. "Can I ask you a favor?" He twisted his hands, preparing to lie out of his teeth. When Allison nodded, he drew his breath and tried to sound convincing. "I'm pretty new to this werewolf life. Hester always chained me up for the full moon." He swallowed hard. "I need you to make sure they tie me up securely on Wednesday night."

Alex could have sworn there was a tear leaving the corner of Allison eye, before she hurried to wipe it away. "I'll tell them. I think, maybe, I don't know. I think that I won't be here for that. I have other business to attend to."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

When Scott and Isaac entered the loft with part of their purchases, Melissa rushed towards them. "Finally. I worried." She bent down and started to dig though the bags. "Where's the bandages?" Scott and Isaac looked at each other, before they shook their heads. "I really don't know, we have more bags in the car." Scott squatted and tried to help her search, while Isaac turned to run downstairs for the rest.

The moment he walked inside, he'd instinctively thrown a peek over to were Alex was sitting. He didn't expect to see Allison sitting next to him, smiling. She gave them a quick wave, but her smile faded a little when she obviously noticed that Scott wasn't looking in their direction.

Running down the stairs, Isaac felt a little outraged. He was the one who saved Alex from Hester. He was the one who'd pleaded with Derek to bring Alex with them. He wondered if the guy really appreciated what he'd done for him.

He wasn't sure how to interpret his own feelings, but one thing was clear for him. He wanted to get to know Alex. He wanted to talk to him and befriend him. He wanted to be able to act normal around him. It was a little disturbing that he always felt the urge to touch the guy, but if he at least could muster up the courage to strike up a conversation with him, it would possibly be easier to deal with the rest of these mixed emotions.

That Alex seemed to have found a friend in Allison shouldn't be a problem, but for Isaac it was. As he carried the last bags upstairs, he had to take a moment to collect himself. He needed to reclaim Alex. He had to just be able to casually walk over there and chat with him. He had to make sure nobody noticed his urgency, because he'd never hear the end of it. He drew his breath and let it out slowly before he opened the door.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

After changing the bandages on sheriff Stilinski's wounds, Melissa volunteered to put all the groceries away. She was supposed to be at work that night, but she'd called in sick. After that, she would have a few days off before she had to be back at the hospital on Friday morning. Friday was ages away, and she just hoped it would all be over by then.

It could be tough shit being cooped up together for an extended period of time, but Melissa was determined to make the best of it. Sheriff Stilinski was doing much better and with a little bit of help from Derek, he was now seated on the couch with his son. Melissa was happy for having him there. Hanging with these teenagers could be somewhat tiring, so having someone close to her own age there was welcomed. Derek and that guy Alex, weren't technically teenagers, but for Melissa, they were still kids.

She didn't regard herself as a great chef, and cooking for a party of eight wasn't anything she she was used to. When they concocted the shopping list she and Derek had tried to come up with recipes that would be easy to double or triple. At the moment, she was sifting through the pots and pans to find one big enough for cooking spaghetti.

She threw a glance at her fellow roommates and wondered a little about how they dealt with the situation. Allison was sitting in the corner by the big panorama window with the prisoner, Alex. Stiles and his dad were on the couch, bickering a little about what to watch on TV. Derek seemed perfectly at ease in the recliner, smiling at the two of them.

Isaac and Scott was pacing a little. Melissa could see that her son threw a glance or two at his girlfriend, but he didn't approach her. She didn't know Isaac to well, but she could see that he seemed to be struggling with something.

Melissa thought about it for a second, before she waved the two boys over. "Can you help me?" She handed Scott a knife and pointed to the vegetables she'd put on the counter. "You can make the salad." She turned to Isaac. "See if you can find plates and cutlery for eight people. We're having spaghetti and meatballs."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Scott and Isaac had bought a couple of movies, and a box-set with the full ten seasons of 'Friends'. "We didn't manage to agree on anything else." Scott chuckled a little as he peeked at Stiles over his shoulder. "We decided that we all needed a laugh so we went for comedies." He turned back to the counter and continued cutting tomatoes. "I picked 'New in town'" He threw a glance at Allison. "You like Renee Zellweger, right?"

Stiles noticed that Allison startled a little, but she collected herself quickly. "Yeah. She's awesome. Thank you for thinking about me when you picked a movie."

Since nobody else interfered, Stiles and his dad ended up choosing 'Friends'. It was something they could all enjoy.

When the food was ready, Melissa and Isaac started to hand out plates of spaghetti to everybody. Scott placed the bowl of salad on the table and was about to walk over to Allison. She got up from the floor and grabbed a plate out of Melissa's hand before she turned to Alex and handed it to him.

Stiles noticed that Scott tensed up, but when Allison turned and gave him a bright smile, he seemed to relax somewhat.

Stiles knew perfectly well what Scott was thinking. Alex was intimidatingly gorgeous. Even if Scott was more than one hundred percent heterosexual, he had to have noticed. Seeing his girlfriend hanging with this guy, had to be painful for the guy.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Everybody was busy watching the first season of 'Friends'. Isaac knew they'd all seen it before, but it didn't make it less funny. He was happy about the choice. When he and Scott were at the store, ibickering a little about what to get, this was an easy choce.

Alex was still sitting in the corner. He held his head up high, obviously to try to catch a glimpse of the screen. Isaac decided to be bold. He wanted Alex to look at him as a friend.

"You like this show? I'm sure they'll let you sit with us if you want to." He tried to catch Alex' eyes but the guy seemed strangely evasive. "Come on." He reached his hand out and hoped Alex would grab it. It didn't happen. Alex just scooted further into the corner.

Isaac wasn't prepared for the pain he experienced. He didn't know if he should be angry or sad. He wanted to lift Alex of the floor and shake some sense into him. He wanted to hold him tight and tell him that he trusted him. Disturbingly enough, he also wanted to punch him in the face.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Hester was pretty sure that Ben was killed. He was supposed to call her as soon as he was back from the hospital, but it had been almost twenty-four hours. It wasn't such a great loss. The guy was a dick-head.

Forming an Alpha pack was in Hester's opinion the lamest idea ever. These guys were so eager to hold on to their status, but were unable to scramble together a pack of their own. They were all male, of course.

It was no wonder that they had wanted Derek in their pack too. He was a total screw-up also. That he was an incredibly handsome and sexy screw-up didn't change anything.

Hester was a traditionalist. A pack with one superior Alpha, was the only way to go for her. In that sorry excuse for a pack Derek had managed to collect, they had two Alphas. Hester was pretty sure that it wouldn't last forever. Sooner or later, either Derek or the McCall guy would have to step down.

That they also had humans in their pack, was more disturbing. These wolves were breaking every rule to how a pack should be.

In the comfort of her own home, Hester leaned back on her couch. After the terrible mistake she made in Beacon Hills, she'd taken her frustration out on Eric. At the moment, she wasn't even sure if the boy was alive.

She'd sent Troy out on a reconnaissance trip, but now she regretted it. She wanted him there to take care of her needs. Torturing Eric had aroused her, and all she wanted now was a release.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Alex cried himself to sleep. He'd spent years on the streets, stealing and conning people, but he'd never had to be dishonest with his friends. Calling Isaac a friend was possibly a long shot, but there had been a connection, and now he'd ruined it.

He would stick to his promise to help Derek, but he knew that Isaac was the one who'd saved him. He wanted to repay him, but at the moment it was more important to please his new Alpha.

Last night, Isaac had camped only a few feet away from him. Now the guy had moved his mattress over to the kitchen area. Melissa and Allison were in Derek's room. Stiles was sleeping on the floor next to his dad in Isaac's room. Scott was on the couch and Derek was sleeping by the front door.

The cuff was back on, so Alex couldn't move much, but it was okay. They'd attached it a little lower now, so he could sleep without his hand raised up in the air.

He startled when he felt a hand on his shoulder, but when he smelled Isaac, he managed to stay cool. "Just wanted to make sure you're okay." The words were barely audible and Alex knew it was because of the other werewolves in there. Isaac didn't want them to hear him. Alex covered Isaac's hand with his. "I'm fine." He wanted to turn around and grab on to the guy, but the cuffs hindered it somewhat. It was probably just as well. "Just please. Trust me."

It came as a surprise when Isaac lied down next to him and wrapped an arm around him. Alex could feel that Derek's plan was about to fall apart. He didn't know anything about Isaac's sexual preferences. Technically he didn't know much about his own. Ever since he started to live on the streets at the age fourteen, he'd hung out with whoever came along. It had nothing to do with sex, even if they rubbed against each other from time to time to get a release.

When Isaac begged Derek to to take him with them, it was the first time in Alex' life that someone wanted to save him. He decided that whatever Isaac wanted with him, he would submit, but he had to fulfill his obligations to Derek first.

At this very moment, it was more about keeping it together. He took a couple of deep breaths while he contemplated on what to do.

A squeeze on his shoulder and a movement that told him that Isaac was about to get up, made him react in an instant. With one hand cuffed to the radiator, it wasn't easy, but he managed to turn around and grab onto Isaac's t-shirt before the guy got up from the floor.

"Trust me." Alex pulled Isaac closer and rubbed his face against his chest. "Please trust me. I can't explain, but you have to stay away from me." He let go of Isaac and pulled away. "Stay away, for now. It's a matter of life and death."

Isaac stared at him puzzled, before he reached his hand out and touched his cheek. Isaac's fingers was trembling against the skin. "Trust me." Alex repeated, before he lifted Isaac's hand off his face and turned to the wall.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Stiles was seriously pissed off. He would have wanted to share a room – or just share a mattress – with Derek. He thought about crawling out in the living-room and cuddling up with him, but with his dad there, it could be a little awkward.

It was tough shit being in a situation he couldn't control. He was used to being on top of things and providing solutions – or at least suggestions – on how to deal with any problem that showed up. At the moment, he felt a little out of the loop. The injury was partially to blame. He couldn't really move around that much.

Everybody seemed to be a little on edge, and they were eager to have somebody taking charge. That they turned to Derek was somewhat understandable, but Stiles knew his boyfriend. Derek wasn't a problem solver. He could get things in motion, and he was perfectly capable of leading a battle, but dealing with the logistics and planning was not his forté.

After keeping the relationship with Derek secret for the longest time, Stiles had been so relieved when they were discovered. His dad hadn't been too upset about it either; at least not more than one could expect. It had been nice to be able to relax and to be with Derek in public. The fact that he was a werewolf didn't matter.

It should be possible to live normally, without having to fear for their lives. Other werewolves and hunters could just stay away and let them be. Stiles knew he had to do something. He had to come up with a plan so that all his friends could live happily ever after. As he started to doze off, he wished that Hester and her pack would go to hell and stay there.


	40. Chapter 40

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Being cooped up in the loft is taking it's toll on them. Allison blames herself for it, but feels that she has no choice. Derek is amazed of how easy his plan is coming together. He doesn't know that Allison has her own agenda. Alex is doing a good job, and he knows it. 
> 
> Derek, Alex and Allison takes off. The rest of the group talk about how to kill a werewolf, and Melissa freaks out a little when she remembers what happened at the hospital. The memory had been locked away for a couple of days.
> 
> At the Hale-house, Allison realizes that she's been fooled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How to save Allison. I had to get this done so here is another chapter. I hope you like. Sterek will show up again, and possibly an Isaac/Alex connection, but not in this chapter. Sorry.

Scott was the first one to get hit by a serious case of cabin-fever. He was pacing around trying to seem busy, but Derek had seen the looks he'd sent in Alex' direction.

Derek had been awake early and after kicking Isaac out of the kitchen, he'd started making breakfast. It didn't take long before Melissa came and helped him and together, they scrambled a dozen eggs and made a pile of toast. A half pound of bacon was kept warm in a pan, while Melissa dug out some condiments.

The kitchen wasn't equipped for feeding so many people; Derek was about to run out of plates, because nobody had thought about starting the dishwasher last night. He sent Melissa an apologetic smile, as he opened the package with paper plates. "This will have to do." Melissa nodded. "It's okay. The food will taste the same." She chuckled a little. "You think anyone will care?"

When the smell of food practically saturated the air in there, both Mr Stilinski and Allison emerged from their sleeping quarters. Scott served himself, and then he made another plate. When Allison came towards him he handed her one. "Oh, thanks. I love you." She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, before she grabbed both plates out of his hands and walked over to Alex.

The expression on Scott's face was easy to read. Surprise, defeat, and also a little bit of anger was practically written on him. Derek could see that he clenched his fists for a second, but then his posture changed. It was almost like he shrunk, and with a sigh he grabbed another plate and served himself again.

Derek had to admit that Allison seemed to take to her task with more enthusiasm than anyone could have expected. It didn't sound like she actually interrogated Alex; their conversation was casual and friendly, and had so far it had not involved Hester that much.

There was no wonder that Scott was intimidated by this. Alex was very cute and charming, and seeing his girlfriend hanging with the guy all the time had to be disturbing. Everybody in there had been told that Alex only wanted to talk with Allison, and nobody could understand it. For the majority, it didn't really matter.

When the cabin fever hit, it didn't take long before it started to spread. The next one to start pacing was Isaac. "We should do something. We can't just sit here and wait." He sounded angry. Derek noticed the pain in his face as he threw a peek at Allison and Alex, and had to smile to himself when he realized why Isaac was so antsy.

During the night, Derek had heard whispers from Alex' corner. He hadn't bothered to get up and check, and he was about to fall asleep again when Isaac passed him and went back to his mattress. He didn't give it a second thought at that moment, but now he had an idea about what had happened.

He wondered if Alex had told Isaac the secret. He wondered if he'd revealed that it was all a con to save Allison's life. The expression on Isaac's face told him 'no'. The guy was jealous, Derek was pretty sure about that. It should have been disturbing. Emotions like that could make it impossible to camp together for an extended period of time, but Derek couldn't help himself. He had to turn his back to his current roommates, so they wouldn't notice that he wanted to laugh out loud.

A half hour later, Stiles threw a deck of cards into the air and slammed his hand on the table. "This is so fucked up. I'm bored." The cards had spread all over the couch and the table, and Stiles pushed some of them away before he leaned back and sighed. "I agree with Isaac. We have to do something. We're gonna kill each other being cooped up like this."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Allison felt like a traitor. She knew that the gloomy mood in the loft was partially due to the fact that she was hanging with Alex. It wasn't so strange that Scott got pissed off by it, but it surprised her a great deal when she discovered that Isaac was equally annoyed. When she caught Alex staring at Isaac, she again wondered why the guy only wanted to talk with her. Isaac would probably have been a more logic choice.

She decided to just ask him, but she needed to distract the others first. She was pretty sure that both Isaac and Scott was eagerly listening in on the conversation. When Stiles started shouting, she knew she had to do something. "Why don't we watch a movie." She got up from the floor and walked over to the TV. "Or we can go for 'Friends'. It'll lighten the mood, right?"

Derek just shrugged, but the three other boys stared at her as if her suggestion was improper. "Oh, come on." She popped a disc in the DVD-player and turned on the TV. "You could at least try."

Melissa had been leaning on the counter, but now she took a few steps forward. "I kind of agree with them." She nodded towards Isaac and Stiles. "We should do something." She shrugged and turned to Allison. "We could always watch a movie, but this is like a siege. We're just waiting for Hester to make her move."

They all noticed that sheriff Stilinski nodded and raised his thumb. Melissa continued. "We have to create our own fate. We can't just sit here and let her plan how to kill us." She drew her breath. "And when is Chris coming back? He is a hunter; he's done this before. We have to..." a sigh escaped her. "We have to do something."

Allison got a little embarrassed. She'd been so involved with her own fate that she hadn't really thought about the others. Her plan had so far been to try to keep her little secret hidden, until she could find a way to kill herself. Like Melissa, she also wondered why her dad hadn't showed up yet. She'd tried to call him, but he didn't pick up. The only proof that he was still alive was a couple of text messages where he apologized for the delay.

After a few minutes of silence following Melissa's little speech, Derek got up from his seat and cleared his throat. "We are. We're gonna do something. Chris is doing some research, and as soon as he's back, we will make plans." He panned the room. "We also have to go to the house – my house – and prepare the basement for..." He paused for a second. "If we catch one of them alive."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

In the mansion, things were almost back to normal. Eric was still alive, but it was probably just pure luck. Troy was back, and could inform Hester that both the McCall house and the Stilinski house seemed abandoned. Stiles' Jeep and Derek's Camaro were parked outside Derek's place. He'd not found a trace of Chris Argent.

The only ones he'd actually spotted, were the two people he'd been urged to stay away from at any cost. As Troy was about to leave Beacon Hills – after scouting out Derek's building for a while - Stiles Stilinski and Allison Argent had drove by him and parked outside the loft. He'd watched them get out of the car and enter the building. It looked like the boy was injured – he was limping – so it took a little while for them to get to the door.

Hester was a little bit surprised that the Argent girl was still up and about, but it could be that she hadn't had a chance to off herself yet. When she told Troy to stay away from the girl, it was mostly because Hester herself wanted to see how the whole hunter-werewolf combo worked out.

If Allison, against all odds should get through the transformation, she'd immediately be a natural target for any werewolf hunter, maybe even her dad. Another thing was that a fresh out of the womb werewolf didn't have any self-control, and since she was a hunter also, it could result in her starting to kill off her friends.

The reason to keep the boy alive was more prosaic. If Joy wanted Stiles for herself, it could be arranged. Giving the girls everything they craved was one of Hester's pleasures. The guy would be a nice addition to their pack.

Troy had been to the hospital also, where he learned that Mr Stilinski had signed himself out. Mrs McCall was not at work, and after flirting with the girl at the front desk, she'd told him that the woman had called in sick.

Hester was pretty sure that they were all cooped up in Derek's apartment. Attacking them there would be a suicide mission, so she decided to wait it out. She wanted them to relax and believe that she'd given up. Hester could be patient if she needed too. Sooner or later they would emerge, and could be taken out one by one.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"He wants us to chain him up for the full moon." Allison nodded towards Alex. "I don't know if it would be wise to do it here." She shrugged and took a sip from her cup of tea. Derek seemed to think about it for a moment, before he smiled widely and chuckled a little.

Allison couldn't understand that this was a laughing matter, and she stared at Derek with a frown. The smile faded quickly, and he seemed a little embarrassed. "I know. I was thinking that we could bring him to the Hale-house." He threw a glance in Alex' direction before he continued. "We can chain him up and leave him there."

Derek poured wine into a glass and walked over to Melissa. "Here. Did you want one too?" He addressed Mr Stilinski who shook his head. "No thanks, I was more interested in that amber liquid you have on the counter there." He pointed to a bottle of whiskey. "If you don't mind?"

After providing the sheriff with a drink, Derek came back to Allison. "We should get the basement ready for an eventual prisoner anyway. Let's just bring Alex there and find out what we need to do." He was about to pour himself a drink, but then he put the bottle down. "We could do it now. I doesn't matter if he has to be chained up for a while. He is a prisoner."

Allison thought about it for a moment. "He'd be like a sitting duck. If we leave him and she comes, he'll be dead." She really didn't want that fate for Alex. "Someone should be there with him and protect him."

This was her chance. She just had to convince Derek to agree to her little plan. There were no indications that Derek knew about the bite. He hadn't mentioned it at all, so Allison did believe that he hadn't been able to sniff it. If she volunteered to watch Alex, she could kill herself in good time before the full moon.

Getting the others to agree would probably be much harder. Scott would definitely protest it, so she decided to ask Derek when they were there.

"The two of us can do it, right?" She tried to keep her voice down. Scott and Isaac were busy arguing with Stiles about what game to play, and wasn't paying attention at the moment. "I know a thing or two about trapping werewolves; we can fix up that basement together."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Derek was amazed about how easy it all went, and he knew that Alex was to thank for this. This guy could really be an asset to them. There had been a little bit of an argument at the loft when Allison told the others about the plan. Scott was the one who protested the most, and suggested that he should go there with Derek.

When Derek made a point that there should be an Alpha left at the loft, Scott had suggested that he and Isaac could go. Melissa saved the day by denying her son to leave the place. "I wouldn't be able to rest with you out there." She'd also tried to argue that Allison should stay behind also. "Wouldn't it be better if you took Isaac?" Scott nodded vigorously, and repeated her suggestion.

Isaac himself seemed ambivalent to the idea, but mentioned that he'd support Derek's decision no matter what. Stiles was surprisingly quiet, and didn't participate in the discussion at all. When Scott addressed him directly to try to get a supporter for his point of view, he just shrugged. After a little bit back and forth, Derek cut through. "This is the best way. Allison is a skilled hunter. We will bring weapons." He was a little concerned about Stiles' lack of interest in this, but deep down, he was happy for not having to argue with his mate.

"Allison is ready to do this. We've talked about it. Chris is on his way and can join us." Derek felt like shit having to lie to his friends, but when it was all over he was sure that they would understand.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Alex was silently commending himself for the outcome of the discussion in the loft. He hadn't participated, but he knew that he was partially responsible. He wondered if Derek would find him worthy as a member of the pack after this.

When the evening sun colored the clouds with an orange hue, Derek came over and pulled him off the floor. "You asked for this and I appreciate your honesty." They walked together towards the door. "I will teach you how to deal with the full moon, but this time we'll do it the way you're used to."

There were a few more comments and suggestions from the others before they left, but eventually they managed to get out of there.

Derek was driving, and Allison was riding shotgun. Alex was perfectly fine sitting in the back seat. They hadn't even turned the corner before Allison addressed him. "I still wonder. Why me?" She sighed and rolled her eyes. "I wanted to ask you earlier, but didn't get a chance."

Alex stared at her. "You did ask me, and I told you." He couldn't understand why she asked him about this again. Repeating this lie wasn't going to make him feel any better. "It's because you trusted..." Allison cut him off. "No, that was not it. I got that. Hear me out."

She shook her head and sighed. "Isaac saved you. I've seen the stares you've given him, and I'm not born yesterday. Why me? Why not him?" She punched Derek on the shoulder when he obviously had a hard time keeping a straight face. "Don't mind him, be honest."

He didn't know what to say. Of course he wanted to talk with Isaac. The only reason he hadn't done so before the deal with Derek, was because Isaac had seemed a tad evasive. Isaac hadn't even tried to strike up a conversation with him, and it had been quite annoying.

It was only last night that he learned that Isaac really cared, but then it was to late. Alex had already committed to this, and didn't want to jeopardize his chance to be in Derek's pack. He just hoped that the guy would understand.

"I..." He could feel the blush and had to take a moment. "I like him, and I think he trusts me, sort of, but I think..." He wasn't sure about how honest he had to be at the moment. Both him and Derek had lied out of their teeth lately. "I think, maybe, uh, I worried that he, that I would send out the wrong signals. I mean... he looks at me weirdly."

Alex had expected a laugh or a cheeky comment, but it didn't come. Allison stared at him for a moment. "Okay, I see. You think he likes you more than you're able to reciprocate?"

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"Silver bullets!" Mr Stilinski raised his glass and took a sip. "Isn't that what you need to kill a werewolf?" He looked at Scott and Isaac. The two boys shook their heads. "Lore, just... no. Unless the bullet blows my brain out." Scott threw a glance at his mom. "That's what I'm saying. You guys have no clue."

Melissa stared at her son. "But the guy at the hospital? You didn't..." She huffed and scrunched her face, as if the memory repulsed her. "You killed him with your bare hands." It seemed like the realization just hit her and she started to shiver. Scott ran over and gave her a hug. "Sorry mom. It was probably not a pretty sight."

Both Stiles and Isaac stared at them with their jaws dropped. "Wha-at?!" Stiles was the first one to utter something. "You did what?" Scott turned away a little embarrassed. "We, uh, we didn't want to tell you while Alex was here, and then I sort of forgot." He shifted his gaze between his two friends. "We were gonna tell you."

They got a slightly jumbled explanation when Melissa, Mr Stilinski, and Scott more or less spoke simultaneously. They all wanted to describe the incident from their own point of view. It took a little while for Stiles and Isaac to understand what had really happened, but eventually they got it.

"So he's really dead? You're sure?" Isaac shook his head. "I mean, I don't doubt you, but I, I thought... You insisted on saving, uh, Alex and that other guy, and now..." Scott cut him off. "He was about to kill my mom. I had to."

Mr Stilinski waved his hand in the air as if he was in class. "But if you guys are so hard to kill, how come you could kill that guy with that twist? Why didn't he heal?" Scott didn't have an answer to that question. A broken vertebrae wouldn't necessarily kill a werewolf.

"I don't know much about your healing processes, but I saw what you did." Scott could see that his mom was totally grossed out, but she continued. "The force would easily have damaged the spinal cord and possibly ripped the jugular vein." She almost choked up. "For God's sake, I could see the back of the guys head. You almost twisted it off."

When his mom started sobbing, Scott was about lean in and hug her again, but the sheriff was faster. He was sitting next to her, and he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her in. "I saw it too, but I didn't believe my own eyes."

Melissa cried silently against the sheriffs shoulder. For a long time, the only sound that was heard in the loft was her occasional sniffle. Scott had to walk away. He'd given his mom a horrible memory, and he was utterly ashamed. She'd obviously managed to suppress it so far, but now it had hit her full force.

The discussion about how to kill a werewolf wasn't interesting anymore. Scott had scarred his mom for the rest of her life. Apologizing made no sense. He just had to hope she'd get over it somehow. He hoped that the memory would fade, so she could look at him the same way as before.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Melissa was in no shape to cook that evening. Stiles wasn't capable of standing up for any extended period of time, so he couldn't do it either. His dad had tried, but he was still a little dizzy from the blood loss. Scott and Isaac volunteered, but seemed totally lost in the kitchen. They both obviously had their minds elsewhere, and didn't really manage to cooperate properly.

Stiles knew why Scott was so absentminded. The fact that he'd probably scarred his mom for life with that kill, and the way Allison had behaved lately must have affected the guy. That Isaac seemed equally disturbed was more of a surprise. He was normally quite laid-back and carefree. Stiles knew that everybody in there worried about Allison and Derek being out in the woods with Alex, but he'd relied on Isaac to at least try to lighten the mood. Thinking back on the little secret he shared with Alex, Stiles started to think that Isaac was in deeper than he'd first thought.

Derek's track record in executing plans wasn't the greatest; Stiles was perfectly aware of that. Sometimes it felt like bad luck was following the guy. When the discussion went high on who should take Alex to the Hale-house, Stiles had chose to not participate. He'd secretly agreed with Derek, but didn't want to piss off Scott.

Allison was smart, and in Stiles' mind, the best choice. She wouldn't screw this up, and she could prevent Derek from screwing up also.

Eventually Isaac and Scott managed to get food on the table. It wasn't a culinary masterpiece, but everybody was so hungry, that the beanie weenies with toast went down easily. The leftover salad from last night was still edible, so all things considered, it was a decent meal.

It was getting late and with no words from the Derek or Allison, they all decided to try and get some sleep. Stiles worried that Scott would try to sneak out during the night, so he chose to crash by the door, where Derek had been sleeping last night.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

The beams supporting the ground floor of the house was sturdy enough. Derek remembered how he'd struggled to come loose when he was held there by Kate. The cuffs attached to the wood had rough edges and would possibly dig deep into Allison's skin, but those wounds would heal. There were also enough chains in there to wrap around her body, so she wouldn't be able to wiggle too much.

"I don't know if they are too wide for him. His hands are smaller than mine." Derek pointed to the cuffs. "Come here, Allison. Your hands are even smaller. If you can't come loose, he can't either." Allison came over willingly and let Derek fit the cuff around her wrist. He held his breath while he fastened the bolt and tugged on it. "You think you could ease your hand out?"

Allison pulled on the cuff with her free hand, while she tried to slip it off. Then she shook her head. "I would have to rip my hand off, this will work." She gestured for Derek to give her the wrench so she could get it off. Derek grabbed it and took a step back. He squeezed his eyes shut for a second before he stared into her eyes. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

Before Allison managed to react, he'd grabbed her other hand and pulled it towards the other cuff. "Alex, help me out." The expression on Allison's face when she realized that she'd been fooled could possibly have scared someone with a weak heart to death. After the initial shock, she started kicking and screaming, but with joint effort, Derek and Alex managed to attach the other cuff.

"WHY? WHY? DEREK! What?" Allison shouted it out, but then she bowed her head and sniffled a little. Her voice was trembling when she again spoke. "You can't do this. Please let me go." She lifted her head and stared at Derek with teary eyes. "You think I'm becoming a werewolf, but the bite didn't take. I promise."

Derek cocked his head and moved closer. He pointed to the almost invisible scar from Hester's teeth. "So how come you've healed?" He couldn't help smirking when he again looked her in the eyes. Without warning, she lifted her foot and kicked him in the crotch. She sneered, showing off her recently acquired fangs.

Derek fell backwards and rolled over in fetal position; the aim on that kick was very accurate. Allison's voice had reached a higher pitch when she started yelling: "Just you wait. When my dad comes and sees this, he's going to kill you." She drew her breath. "Or he's going to untie me and let me kill you myself."

After a little bit of a struggle, Derek got up from the floor. His balls was still aching a little. He turned to Alex. "We have to cuff her feet too. She has a hell of a kick." As soon as he was able to stand up straight, he looked at Allison again as he shook his head. "Sorry pumpkin, your dad is not coming. He won't be back until after the full moon."

When Allison again bared her teeth, it became pretty clear that the transformation had already started. "Fuck you, Derek Hale! I don't want this. I can't become a werewolf. My mom killed herself to avoid it. Where's dad? He promised to kill me."

She didn't even try to fight it when Alex and Derek attached a set of cuffs to her ankles and wrapped the chain around the beam to make sure she couldn't move her feet. "He did not promise to kill you. I talked to him. He wants to save you." Derek assessed their handiwork, before he went over to the corner and picked up some more chain. "He is in on it, he wanted me to get you through this alive."

As soon as Allison was securely wrapped up in chains, Derek turned to Alex. "What about you? Do I need to tie you up also" With a chuckle Alex looked at Derek. "Pfft, if there were one good thing to say about Hester, it would be the fact that she taught us self control." He threw a glance at Allison. "Sorry I lied." He gave her a lopsided smile. "I hope we can be friends after this."


	41. Chapter 41

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The full moon is coming. Allison's transition has started. Both Scott and Isaac are a little antsy and can't fall asleep. Scott leaves the loft to go find his girlsfriend and the guys. When he sees her, he draws the wrong conclusion, and tries to attack Derek. Chris is coming to the rescue.

While Allison was securely tied up in the basement, Derek and Alex walked around in the ruins of the house. The screams and cursing from Allison had bothered them a little, so Derek had found some duct tape and covered her mouth. He hoped that she'd be able to forgive him at one point in the future, but at the moment they needed to keep the noise down.

"I'm going to tear it all down and rebuild it." Derek threw his hands out and nodded to himself. "I didn't think I'd ever wanted to do that, but things have changed." Alex panned the room they were currently standing in. "It definitely need some work, but the location is perfect for a lair."

Derek nodded and rubbed his forehead. "I know. It was a perfect place in the past. I want it to be perfect again." He hurried to turn away and headed for the stairs to the basement. "I'm just gonna check on her, it's awfully quiet down there."

Allison was practically hanging by the cuffs. Her hands and forearms were covered in blood. The scars from where the cuffs had dug into her skin had healed and were barely visible. She was panting after having struggled to come loose for a while. When Derek approached, she lifted her head and pierced him with her eyes.

"The full moon is only a couple of hours away. It will be over soon." Derek tried to sound soothing as he pulled the duct tape off her mouth, but wasn't sure if he managed. For a moment Allison seemed puzzled, but then she gave out a low growl. "He said, Alex said it wasn't until Wednesday night." She cursed a little when she obviously realized how the guy had tricked her. "It was a good con you concocted there, Derek. One of your finest works." Derek could see that her face was starting to change, but she seemed adamant about clinging to her humanity. She huffed. "You really needed a victory after all your screw-ups. Congrats, enjoy it."

She couldn't fight it anymore. Derek could see her nails turn into claws and he noticed the changes in her face. Suddenly she turned her head up and howled towards the ceiling, before she just slumped down, letting the cuffs and the chain carry her weight.

Derek decided to leave her alone. It could be painful to watch a transition in the first place. Knowing that Allison didn't want this made it even worse. He hoped that she'd come around and thank him for it later, but he didn't really count on it. If she resented him for the rest of her life, it wouldn't matter. He did it to save her, and he felt good about himself for doing so.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Melissa was in Derek's room and Mr Stilinski was in Isaac's. Stiles couldn't sleep. He knew that Isaac and Scott were awake also, even if they both did their best to pretend to be sleeping. They'd all expected Derek and Allison to be back during the night, but so far there had been no words from them.

Stiles knew that Scott had sent multiple text messages to Allison before he went to bed, and if his grave face as he lied down on the couch was something to go by, he'd obviously got no response.

There was one thing that worried Stiles more than anything. Even if it seemed like Alex was on their side, it could be an elaborate con. What if Hester was waiting for them at the Hale-house. What if Alex had found a way to contact her, and that Derek and Allison was mauled to death at this very moment. He didn't really believe that, but the lack of words from any of them was a little disturbing.

A sound from Isaac interrupted his unsettling train of thoughts. Stiles looked up and saw the guy tiptoe through the room dragging his mattress towards the window. He picked up the blanket and the pillow that Alex had been using, before he put the mattress down next to the radiator.

After throwing a quick peek around, as if he wanted to make sure nobody saw him, Isaac lied down and covered himself with Alex' blanket. It was odd and somewhat amusing. Stiles had never really thought about Isaac's sexual preferences before, but after the silent 'chat' with Alex, he'd kept an eye on the guy. So, okay, there had been a moment or two were he'd thought about it earlier, but in the past he'd been pretty sure that Isaac had the hots for Erica.

He'd also wondered if bisexuality was a common feat amongst werewolves, but according to Derek it was not so. It was obviously more about the werewolves ability to accept their attractions. Derek was pretty sure that bisexuality was quite common among humans too, but that people didn't want to know.

During the initial phases of their relationship, Stiles had worried that Derek would drop him as a hot potato, as soon as he met a a girl he wanted. He didn't worry about that anymore. Stiles knew that Derek looked at him as his mate, and that was – for a werewolf – a life-long commitment.

Stiles wasn't even sure if he was ready for this. He knew that his love for Derek was genuine, but he worried a little about the fact that this was his first and only true love. When Derek mentioned that he wanted to rebuild the house for them, Stiles had been excited and happy. He really wanted to make this work. At the moment he couldn't see any other option than to be with Derek for the rest of his life, but he knew that things could change.

He forced the thought out of his mind, and concentrated on Isaac instead. The way he clenched Alex' pillow to his chest was quite revealing. Isaac was obviously infatuated with the guy. Stiles tried his best not to chuckle. Alex was extraordinarily good looking and Stiles was pretty sure that he was gay.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Scott knew how to deal with the full moon, and was perfectly capable of bracing himself. It was still affecting him and it was impossible to fall asleep. He knew that Isaac went through the same struggles, and wondered if he should give up on the whole sleeping thing and get Isaac over to play some video games. He needed something to take his mind of what happened at the Hale-house.

He sat up half way and peeked over to the kitchen area. Isaac wasn't there. Scott remembered hearing someone moving around behind his back a half hour ago, and now he figured it was Isaac. He sat up fully and panned the room. He spotted Isaac close to the panorama window, and when he cocked his head to listen, Scott knew that Isaac wasn't sleeping either.

When he heard something that sounded like a sniffle, he held his breath for a moment to make sure he was right. Was Isaac crying? Scott shook his head in disbelief. That wasn't quite what he'd expected.

"Isaac!" He whispered as he threw a quick glance at Stiles. He didn't want to wake his friend. He noticed that Isaac froze up for a second, before he wiped his nose with his forearm. "Yeah?" He whispered back. "You couldn't sleep either?"

He sat up and seemed to wipe the sleep out of his eyes, but Scott suspected it was tears. Why would Isaac be crying? It made absolutely no sense. "What's up? Did you have a bad dream or something?" Scott was still whispering, and there were no indication that Stiles could hear him. Isaac got up from the floor and moved towards the bathroom. "No, uh, yeah, maybe. I need to pee." He was clinging to a pillow, but was obviously not aware of it at first. Suddenly he looked down at it, and Scott could see his eyes widen before he threw it back on the mattress and headed for the bathroom.

When he came back he slumped down on the couch next to Scott. "When will they be back? I worry about them. Have you heard anything?" Isaac seemed extremely antsy and picked at his fingernails. Scott shook his head. "No, not a word. I want to go there. They were supposed to tie up Alex and come back, right?"

Isaac seemed to startle a little. "What? They were gonna leave him alone in the basement. He'd be like bait. They can't do that." Isaac got up and started pacing. "I should have gone with Derek. Allison's place is here with you."

Scott couldn't agree more. "I know, and now they've been gone for hours. Something must have gone wrong."

They were both aware of Derek's perpetual bad luck. "I'm going." Scott got up from the couch and grabbed his jeans from the floor. "If something happened to them, I won't be able to forgive myself." Isaac was about to get dressed too, but Scott stopped him. "You have to stay here and protect the others. I'll go alone."

-o-o-o-o-o-

Stiles knew that they were trying to keep it down so they wouldn't wake him up, but he was already awake. He'd heard every word and he knew he should try to stop Scott. There was only this little issue; he agreed with him. Derek and Allison should have been back by now. He made an half-ass attempt to prevent Scott from reaching the door, but even if he'd tried harder he wouldn't have been able to stop him.

As soon as Scott had left, Isaac came over and sat down on the floor next to Stiles. He was breathing heavily and he scrunched his face as if he was in pain. Stiles understood that he was trying to say something and waited patiently.

"Uh, I wonder... I mean, just out of curiosity... When did you, uh, realize that you..." He huffed scratched his jaw. Stiles had an idea of what was coming and managed to keep his mouth shut. "I mean, it must have been, eh," another huff came. "When did you know you liked Derek, you know, like... liked him?"

Stiles tried not to laugh. He knew why Isaac was asking. "From the moment I laid eyes on him the first time. I knew it, but I pushed it away for a long time. Why?" He had to look away in order to compose himself. A giggle was tickling his throat.

"I just wondered. I mean, you didn't know you liked guys before that, right?" Isaac was staring at his hands and seemed to be concentrated on ripping his own fingernails out. Stiles shrugged. "Well, no, maybe. I don't know. It was never really an issue. I thought Lydia was the only one. I never really looked at anyone else."

For a long time, they were just sitting there trying not to look at each other. Stiles was fighting not to laugh, and Isaac was clearly a bit embarrassed. "You like him, right?" Stiles had managed to push away the urge to laugh. "He is cute. Almost like a girl cute. I don't blame you."

Isaac emitted a snort. "Pfft, no. It's not... uh, okay, yeah, he is, but it's not like I..." He paused and started to get up. "Forget it. It's not what you think." He was about to walk away, when he suddenly turned around again. "I just feel... I, we saved him, I feel attached to him on some freaked out level. It's not, it's not sexual or anything, it's just..."

Stiles cocked his head and looked at his friend. "It's okay. I think, maybe, he feels somewhat attached to you too." He could see that Isaac got a little startled. Then he shook his head. "He doesn't even talk to me. He..." He swallowed hard. "We don't even know if he can be trusted."

"Did you try to talk to him? As far as I could see you didn't make much of an effort." Stiles rolled his eyes. "For me it looked like you did your best to avoid him."

Isaac started pacing a little. "I tried, last night, but he pushed me away." He covered his face with his hands. "This is so fucked up. I don't know what to do, how to feel. I just... Stiles, tell me I'm not crazy."

Stiles struggled to get to his feet and then he jumped over to Isaac. He leaned heavily on the guy's shoulder and did his best to meet his eyes. "You're not crazy. You just have to try again. Maybe he doesn't trust you either. Remember what he's been through. You heard what he told Allison. After Hester it can be hard for him to trust anybody."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Alex was standing on the front porch, staring into the darkness surrounding the house. Derek was downstairs checking on Allison. They'd had to gag her again. She was too loud, and Derek was afraid someone would hear her. They weren't only worried about Hester and her pack. A poacher or a lonely wanderer could easily come straying by the house.

When he heard a car engine in the distance, Alex scooted towards the door. It didn't sound like any of Hester's cars. This was something old and dingy. Before it came any closer, he could hear the engine choke. The driver attempted to start it a couple of times, but then the woods went silent again.

Alex threw a glance over his shoulder when he heard Derek come back up. "Someone is out there. I don't think it's Hester." He explained what he'd heard, and Derek slumped his head down and sighed. "It could be one of our own. It could be Isaac's car." Then he shrugged. "Or just some random person. He crouched down next to the window and peeked out. "Keep quiet, we need to prevent anyone from coming in here."

The first thing they noticed was a flash of red between the trees. Alex worried that it could be Hester after all, but then he recognized Scott's silhouette and sighed in relief. The front yard was lit up by the moonlight, and Scott seemed reluctant to cross it. He was hiding behind some bushes obviously sniffing into the air.

"You have to stop him. He can't come in." Derek scooted towards the stairs to the basement. "This could ruin everything." Alex got up and moved over to the door. "How on earth am I gonna prevent him from coming in? I can't fight him." He turned to look at Derek, but the guy had already disappeared. Alex drew his breath and went outside. He wondered if Scott would attack him. If so he wouldn't be able to defend himself.

"Scott! Come out! It's okay. We're alive." His voice was trembling and he took a couple of breaths to compose himself. "You shouldn't be here. You were supposed to protect the others." It took a moment before Scott emerged. He took a few steps forward and panned the front yard. "Where's Derek and Allison?"

Alex gestured towards the door. "They're inside. Everything is fine." He shook his head when he realized what a bad decision Derek had made when he told Alex to keep Scott out. The others believed that they came here to tie him up. Standing there in the doorway staring at Scott, Alex knew what the guy was thinking. "DEREK! You have to come. He's gonna kill me. He expected me to be tied up by now."

For a moment, the two werewolves stared at the full moon, before Scott charged at Alex. Alex let himself fall backwards through the door and rolled towards the stairs. He wasn't fast enough, Scott was on top of him in an instant and dug his claws into his shoulders. "What did you do to them? Where's Hester?"

Alex closed his eyes and waited for the final blow, but then he heard Derek's voice. "STOP IT SCOTT! He's on our side." Scott's claws retracted but he was still pinning Alex to the floor. "Where's Allison?" A clang from chains and a low growl came from the basement, and Scott jumped to his feet, leaving Alex bleeding on the floor.

He moved towards the stairs. "Did you catch one of them? Who?" Derek did his best to stop him from getting to the basement, but Scott managed to push him aside.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

The sight that met Scott when he set his feet on the floor in the basement was horrifying. Allison was thoroughly chained to a vertical beam. Her wrist and arms were bloodied, and a small pool of blood had formed around her feet. He was about to run over to her when Derek grabbed his wrist. "Don't!"

Scott ripped himself loose and was about to attack Derek, when Allison lifted her head slightly. In the dim light he could see the orange glow in her eyes and the wolf-like face. He instantly understood what was happening. He didn't know if he could overpower Derek, but he would definitely try. "You turned her! How could you?" He charged forward, but Derek was quicker and managed to jump out of reach. "I didn't."

As he was about to attack Derek again, he heard Alex' voice from behind him. "Hester did. Hester bit her. Derek is trying to save her life. She wanted to kill herself."

A clang from the chains made him turn to Allison again. Her face was contorted as if she was in pain. He spotted an evil in her eyes, and the guttural sound from her throat startled him. Her mouth was covered with a piece of duct tape, and Scott couldn't help himself. He reached out and pulled the tape off. Allison's head shot forward as she tried to bite his hand.

Scott jumped back. "Allison, it's me, Scott." He felt tears welling up in his eyes looking at his girlfriend. He knew she was in pain, he'd gone through this himself. The howl she emitted as she pulled on the chains to try to reach Scott, gave him shivers down his spine.

"How do you know? How do you... How do I know it was Hester?" Scott rubbed his eyes as he scooted backwards. "How do I know it wasn't you?" He tried to focus on Derek, but the tears kept coming. Derek sighed heavily. "When it's over she will tell you. I'm sure. She didn't want anyone..." A loud growl from Allison cut him off.

"I can tell him!" All of them turned to the stairs. Chris was standing half way up. "I saw it. I couldn't save her." His voice was trembling as he approached his daughter. "I'm sorry Sweet pea. I couldn't lose you too. This was the only way."

For a split second, there was a hint of humanity in Allison's eyes, before she again tugged at the chains and growled loudly.

"Go back to the loft, I'm gonna stay here with her." Chris slumped down on the floor and pressed his knuckles into his eyes. "Just go."

Derek was the first on to react. "You shouldn't be here... not alone. I'll stay with you." He was about to seat himself next to Chris, when Scott finally managed to compose himself. "No, I'll stay. Take Alex with you and leave." He didn't care what Chris wanted, he needed to be there with Allison. "Derek, I understand why you did this, but I don't think I want to be around you right now, please go."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A Quick note to my readers and to everybody who sends kudos or bookmark my story: Thank you so much. I would have wanted to thank you all personally, but that's an impossible task. Anyway, thank you all. Feel free to comment or even PM me if you have ideas for storylines you want me to look at. I know how this story is going to end, but I love the sidestories that pops up in my head too. Allison and Alex are my two favorites at the moment, and I have a hard time focusing on anybody else. Saving Allison is important to me now, and the Alex/Isaac thing will be ongoing for a while. Sterek moments will show up, and eventually... I think I've said enough. Hang in there and thanks again.


	42. Chapter 42

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Derek and Alex are back at the loft. Isaac and Alex stare at each other when they think the other one is not watching. Derek gives Stiles a little treat. It's cramped and rushed and smutty. Allison 'wakes up' after her first full moon, and she is behaving rather strange. She's happy to be alive, but she's also seriously pissed off for being tricked. Chris and Derek gets ready to tell the others what happened.

They snuck inside and tried to avoid waking anybody. Stiles was sleeping on the couch, and Isaac had passed out next to the radiator. It surprised Alex that Isaac didn't hear them come in, but then he saw the empty whiskey bottle next to him. It took a good deal of alcohol to knock out a werewolf, but it looked like Isaac had his fair share. As far as Alex could remember, that bottle had been almost full when they left.

Derek pointed to the mattress next to the door, and gestured for Alex to take it. He nodded towards the couch and whispered: "I'll squeeze myself in there." before he tiptoed across the floor and entered the bathroom.

Alex looked at Isaac. The guy was sleeping in 'his' spot with 'his' blanket and 'his' pillow. He wasn't sure how to interpret it. As soon as Derek was done in the bathroom, Alex entered and took a leak. He didn't know how to handle the situation, but decided to just play it by ear.

When he came out, he picked up the mattress and walked over to Isaac. He watched as Derek was getting ready for bed before he lied down staring into the ceiling. Alex had found a another blanket and was trying to get comfortable when he heard faint whispers from the couch. He tried not to listen in. A small giggle came from Stiles, before Derek shushed him.

He was pretty sure that Derek hadn't told Stiles what happened in the basement; they'd agreed on waiting with that till morning. Derek wanted everybody to be present when the secret was revealed.

Derek and Stiles had stopped talking, but it was evident that they weren't sleeping. Alex heard a couple of hitched breaths from Stiles, and wondered if the guy was crying for some reason. It took him only a split second to realize that that was not the case.

Slightly embarrassed by the faint noises, Alex stuffed his fingers in his ears to try to shut it out. It wasn't only the sounds in itself that embarrassed him; he could also feel an erection coming on, and tried to force it away. He threw a peek at Isaac lying only a few feet to the left. He wished that he'd have the guts to move closer, but that would probably have made the matters worse.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"You know this couch is too small for us?" Stiles whispered as he did his best to give Derek room behind him. "We tried this before." Derek didn't say anything at first, he just wrapped his arms around Stiles and kissed his earlobe. "I know."

Derek tried to get comfortable as he slowly eased his hand into Stiles' pajama pants. "Are you kidding me?" Stiles was still whispering. "Isaac..." He lifted his hand and pointed towards where Isaac was sleeping. Derek kissed his earlobe again. "Yeah, I know."

With gentle movements, Derek managed to pull down Stiles' pants. Stiles pretended to be fighting it, but his cock was of a totally different opinion. "Hey, we, you can't." The words was hitched out. "He's going to hear us, uh, me."

Derek let his lips run down the side of Stiles' neck and over the shoulder. "Shush. Isaac has passed out." He didn't want to mention that Alex was there, awake and alert; Derek couldn't care less.

The lube was in the bedroom, but he'd grabbed a bottle of body lotion from the bathroom. After tugging on Stiles cock for a minute, he dug it out from behind his back. He had to let go of Stiles for a second to get it open. Since they were spooning, he had both hands right in front of Stiles' face, and he could hear a faint huff, when his mate obviously realized what was going to happen.

There wasn't much room between them, but Derek held on to Stiles tightly as he eased his hand into the butt-crack. Stiles was holding his breath, probably as an attempt to keep the noise down, but when the second finger entered his ass, he gasped for air.

Derek went slow and Stiles managed to control himself for a while. When Derek started fucking him with three fingers, he let out a small moan and covered his mouth with his hand. "Oh, God." He mumbled through his fingers. "You're crazy, I can't..."

Stopping now was not an option. Derek pulled his fingers out and grabbed his own cock. It wasn't easy to get a good aim in this tight space on the couch, but when Stiles lifted his leg to give him better access, he managed to get it inside.

The position was not the best; he couldn't really move much, but the short, gentle thrusts were enough. Stiles was now covering his mouth with both hands to avoid any loud noises, but the raspy growl from his throat was still audible.

It didn't matter. Isaac had heard it all before. That Alex could hear it too, wasn't a bother either. Derek reached his hand down and grabbed Stiles' cock. It took only a couple of tugs before he felt that Stiles was about to cum. With the risk of falling off the couch Derek increased the speed of his trusts and clung to his mate as he released his load up Stiles' ass. Seconds later Stiles came also.

They were both holding onto what they could reach in order to stay on the couch. Stiles was shaking and had a hard time controlling his breathing. "You are crazy. I love you." He had his face dug into the pillow, so the words were barely audible.

-o-o-o-

Allison could feel the metal cut into her wrists. It wasn't as painful as one could expect. She had a hard time remembering what had happened. She knew exactly why she was chained up like this, but most of the memory about it was seriously blurred.

Small glimpses from the previous few hours were bothering her greatly. She remembered trying to reach her own wrist with her teeth, so she could gnaw her hand off. Luckily, the chains were attached in a manner that made it impossible. At the moment she was very happy about that.

Allison also remembered throwing herself forward to try to bite Scott. There were also other snippets of memory that at the moment abhorred her. Under all these disturbing pictures, and through the whole night, her main goal had been to find a way to kill Derek.

The fact that she did remember a little bit, was surprising. Scott had had total amnesia after he turned the first time. Maybe it was because he didn't know what happened to him. Allison knew enough about werewolves to understand the trauma they went through during their first full moon. She knew exactly what she was up against when she realized they'd managed to trap her. She'd fought against it, but it was impossible to prevent the transformation.

'So now I'm a werewolf.' The notion wasn't so horrifying anymore. She'd been adamant about taking her own life before the full moon. Part of the reason was so she could honor her mom's memory. Allison had been so sure that it was the only solution.

Hanging there on the chains, knowing it was over, she felt sad for her mom. She wouldn't have had to kill herself. This could actually be a good thing.

The urge to kill Derek was gone, but she would like to punch him in the face for tricking her. Or maybe she should punch herself in the face for being tricked. Derek wasn't stupid, but he wasn't really known for his great planning skills. That he'd been able to con her for hours, and even get Alex to participate, was actually proof that the guy could be leader-material after all. It was still somewhat embarrassing to know that she'd been fooled by the guy.

She lifted her head slowly and looked around. It was dark and gloomy in the basement, but a ray of sun coming through the small, dirty window was telling her that it was morning. Scott and her dad were both sitting by the wall with their heads on their knees. They seemed to have dozed off.

She didn't quite know how it came to pass that the two of them were there instead of Alex and Derek. Except for the fact that she vaguely remembered it, she hadn't been in a condition to understand why. At that particular moment, she didn't really care why.

She wanted to alert them that it was over, but the duct tape over her mouth prevented her from talking. That was another thing she'd have to punch someone for. She had no idea who did it, so she decided to be angry at them all.

"Mmph." The sound from her throat startled her two prison guards, and they both jumped to their feet. Scott was fastest; he ran over and ripped the tape off. He stepped back for a moment and stared into her eyes. "Are you okay?"

Allison nodded. "Yeah, I think so." She looked down on herself. "I just need a shower and some clean clothes."

-o-o-o-o-o-

Isaac opened his eyes, but the morning sun shining through the window forced him to close them again. He used his hand to shade his eyes, before he squinted through his lashes. He looked straight into Alex' face. Isaac squeezed his eyes shut again. He had to be dreaming.

Alex was supposed to be tied up in the Hale-house at the moment. They could, of course, had just come back, but it didn't sound plausible. He cracked his eyes open slightly again. Alex was still there, and he seemed to be sleeping soundly as if he'd been there for a while.

A lot of jumbled thoughts went through Isaac's mind. He wondered if the others were back also, or if Alex had managed to escape. Isaac scrubbed that idea the moment it entered his mind. Why would the guy escape just to come back to the loft and lay down here next to him? Nothing he could come up with made sense, so he decided to just let it go. At the moment, he was quite content with the sight in front of him, and decided to enjoy it as long as possible.

It was still fairly early, and he could hear other people sleeping in the room. The sound of two people breathing in unison came from the couch, and it made him believe that Derek was back also. Who else than Derek and Stiles could be cramped together there. It could be Scott and Allison, but he couldn't smell them so he guessed that they weren't present at all.

Nothing made sense at the moment. His own feelings as he took in the sight of Alex didn't make sense either. He'd never felt like this about anyone before. It would actually have been easier to handle if it was purely sexual. Being turned on by a guy didn't scare him as much as he'd have thought, but this was different.

Suddenly, he realized that he was still clenching Alex' pillow. He wondered if anyone had noticed. He wondered if Alex had noticed. The probability of that was obvious and slightly disturbing. Isaac relaxed his grip on the pillow, and tried to move it a little without making a sound. He pretended to be sleeping as he eased it under his head.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Alex knew that Isaac was staring at him. He managed to keep his breathing steady, pretending to be asleep. He didn't know what to expect from the guy. Isaac had been behaving very strange and somewhat aloof around him. That night when he'd come over and held him for a brief moment was the only indication that Isaac cared for him on some level. When Alex was forced to push him away, he wondered if he'd ruined anything.

With Allison's transition out of the way, Alex wanted to explain himself to Isaac. He had no idea what to say, but he needed to show Isaac that he was grateful. He wanted to tell him that he'd always be indebted to him one way or another.

He didn't know if Isaac wanted to have sex with him, but it didn't matter. Alex was ready to oblige with whatever happened. The months in Hester's house had really screwed him up regarding this, so he didn't know if he could ever have a normal sexual relationship with anybody. After beating him to a pulp, Hester took off with Troy, leaving Alex to his own fate. Eric went through the same, and they always comforted each other after the abuse.

In the beginning, Alex had thought that he and Eric shared preferences, but it wasn't so. Eric was straight, but he still let Alex crawl into his bed and cuddle up after a session of torture.

The life on the streets, making money from sucking dicks, he knew that he was pretty good at it. It had never aroused him. It was pure business. Thinking about sucking Isaac's dick was different. Alex wasn't sure if he could do it without thinking about him as a customer, but if Isaac just let him, he'd do it in a heartbeat.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Stiles woke up from a loud bang, when the door hit the wall. Derek jumped up from behind him as Scott ran across the floor towards Derek's room. With Allison tucked to his side, Chris kept a slower pace. Scott came out of the room carrying Allison's bag and ran back to her. Melissa emerged rubbing her eyes. "What? What's happening?"

Chris walked with his daughter to the recliner, where she unwrapped herself from her dad and sat down. She looked like shit. Her clothes were bloodied and torn, and her make-up was smeared all over her face. She didn't wear shoes, and her socks were covered in dirt.

Stiles stared at them and repeated Melissa's words. "What's happening?" Nobody answered. Allison was sitting there looking at her hands. Stripes of coagulated blood made an abstract pattern on her skin. Her bra was visible through the rips in her shirt, but she didn't seem to care. Stiles could see that there was blood on her chest and neck also. He couldn't spot any wounds on her and figured that it was somebody else's blood.

Scott was digging through the bag, and pulled out different items of clothing. He held them up in front of Allison and she nodded, but looked somewhat detached from it all. Chris seemed to be swaying a little as if he was utterly exhausted, so Stiles hurried to pull his feet away, making room for the guy on the couch.

A sound from behind him made Stiles turn to look at Isaac. It startled him to discover that Alex was also there. He must have come back with Derek. Stiles felt his cheeks burn when he realized that Alex probably had heard them have sex last night.

He didn't get much time to indulge himself in the embarrassment. Melissa had come over to Allison, and she immediately started to examine the girl. After a couple of minutes, she stepped back. "Who's blood is this? It can't be yours, you have no injuries." With a baffled expression on her face, she shook her head. "Not external anyway. Do you feel okay?"

Allison leaned back in the recliner and nodded. "Yeah, sure. I'm fine." She peeked down at her own body and sighed. "I think I need a shower." With everybody else fuzzing around her, Allison looked strangely at ease. Stiles wondered what had happened, but figured that he would get the answer eventually, so he didn't even bother to ask again.

"What the hell is going on?" When his dad emerged from Isaac's room, they all turned to him. He panned the room and ended up staring at Allison. His eyes widened. "What happened to you?" Allison didn't reply. She got up from the chair, and grabbed the clothes Scott was holding. "Does anybody need to use the restroom? I'm going to take a long, hot shower."

She made a pit stop in front of Derek and with a smirk, she lifted her hand and smacked him across the face. "That's for tricking me. Don't ever do that again." Derek just stared at her before he stroke his own cheek and nodded. She moved past him and stared down at Alex sitting on the mattress on the floor. "You deserve one too, but I'll save it for later."

Stiles needed to pee so badly, but he'd just discovered that his pajama pants were on the floor and he was buck naked under the blanket. He gestured for Derek to help him, but he didn't notice. Allison was waiting patiently while everybody else used the toilet. As she was about to enter the bathroom, Stiles couldn't take it any longer. "I need to pee too, can I get some help? Derek! I'm, uh, I'm naked."

When a dam breaks, it can cause all sorts of damage. The dam that broke in the loft at that moment, did quite the opposite. As Derek lifted Stiles off the couch to help him get to the bathroom, everybody started laughing. It sounded a bit restrained to begin with, but when Allison joined in also, the laughter became more genuine and relieving.

Stiles waved as he got carried inside. "Thank you, thank you all, I'll be back shortly."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"Just tell them now. I don't want to be here for the revelation." It had been Allison's last words before she entered the bathroom. Melissa had hurried to put on some coffee. Isaac tried to help her, but was clearly more in the way. Derek brought Stiles to his room where they both got dressed. Mr Stilinski had slumped down on the couch next to Chris, and Alex was still sitting on the floor.

Scott knew that they'd had to tell everybody what had happened, and was just waiting for them to gather around the coffee table. He was seated on the recliner, and tried to relax. It wasn't easy. The night had been rough, and telling the others about it meant that he had to relive it. He wondered what the others would say when they revealed that Allison had been attacked by Hester and had become a werewolf.

Chris had explained the attack in detail while he and Scott were sitting in the basement waiting for Allison's transformation to be over.

When Scott had discovered what was going on in the Hale-house, he'd been ready to kill Derek one way or another. After hearing Chris out, he'd changed his mind and wanted to thank Derek for saving her. It had still felt good to see Allison hit the guy. He had conned her, and even if he did it to save her, he had it coming.

He didn't know what part Alex played in this. It had been a bold move to let him in on the con. Derek couldn't have been sure that the guy was on their side. Maybe Derek knew more about Alex than he'd told them. It had to be addressed, but Scott was pretty sure that they could trust him now.

During the ride from the woods, Allison had apologized for her behavior lately and explained why she'd hung out with Alex, so Scott wasn't jealous of him anymore. Maybe a little. He was very good looking, but all signs pointed to that he was more into Isaac.

As soon as Derek and Stiles were back, Melissa and Isaac brought coffee and some cookies. Stiles got a seat on the couch next to his dad, while Melissa just sat down on an armrest. Isaac looked around for a seat before he, after throwing a quick peek at Alex, sat down on the floor next to the couch.

Derek was pacing a little before stopped and cleared his throat. He was standing behind Chris and before he spoke, he patted the guy's shoulder. "Maybe you better start. You were there from the beginning. I'll fill in when it's necessary."


	43. Chapter 43

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Big changes at the loft. The group get reduced to half. The ongoing investigation into Boyd and Erica's deaths catches up with them when Mr Stilinski is asked to come to the station. They learn a thing or two about Alex, and gets pleasantly surprised. Next chapter will be posted shortly. And for those of you who craves it: Sorry, no smut for a while, but it's coming.

When Allison came out from the bathroom, everybody stared at her. She took her time to make sure she didn't have to take part in the explanation, but of course they were curious about her point of view.

Melissa was the first one to react. She came running over and gave her a hug. "Poor thing. You must have had a horrible couple of days." She took a step back, and let their eyes meet as she held on to Allison's shoulders. "I'm so happy you got through this in one piece."

When she felt her eyes well up with tears, Allison tried to move away so she could compose herself. Melissa obviously noticed, but pulled her back in to an embrace. "So, so, It's okay. We're here for you."

Allison managed to control the tears somewhat, but it felt so good being held like that. Melissa's unconditional support was something you could only expect from a mother.

They pulled apart when Isaac tapped her shoulder. "I'm sorry I acted like a jerk." He waited until Melissa walked away before he gave Allison a quick hug. Thinking back, she realized that she and Isaac hadn't exchanged a word during these last few days. She hadn't really noticed before – she'd been too indulged in her own problems – but he'd seemed both angry and disappointed.

She was pretty sure it had nothing to do with her personally; it was probably due to the fact that she'd hung out with Alex all the time, and made it impossible for Isaac to get him on his own. "Don't worry about it. I was behaving like a jerk too." She gave his hand a quick squeeze and threw a peek at Alex. "He helped me a lot. He's a good guy." She could see that Isaac blushed when he obviously realized who she was talking about. Nobody else seemed to have noticed, partially because Stiles tried to get up from the couch and needed help. He made a big deal out of it, and had managed to get everyone's attention.

Isaac drew his breath. "Oh, uh, sure... but it's..." He shook his head and before he could continue, Allison just winked at him and walked away.

Stiles was standing up straight, supported by Scott. "Werewolf, uh?" He waved her over. "I want a hug too." Allison chuckled a little and moved closer. "Of course. I'm sorry I took your boyfriend away." She embraced him and lifted him clear off the floor. "I know he wanted to tell you; he didn't know if he could pull it off by himself."

Stiles squirmed a little in her arms, but then he relaxed. "One more person who can carry me around until I'm healed. That has to be a good thing." He giggled a little. "But you can put me down now." Allison helped Stiles back on the couch and sat down next to him. "I think I could have carried you before also, I'm, uh, I was pretty strong as a human, and you don't weigh much anyway."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

As soon as the police eventually got wind of what had happened to sheriff Stilinski, a deputy was sent to the hospital to interview him. At that point in time, he was still in the ICU and in no condition to talk to anybody. They had been pretty sure that they had to look for a rabid dog, but after a brief conversation with one of the doctors, they'd scrubbed that. He'd explained the injuries, and told them that it was more likely that he'd been attacked by a wild animal. The blood work and other tests hadn't shown any traces of rabies.

A hunting party was sent out, but hadn't found any animal that could be responsible for Mr Stilinski's injuries.

When they came back again, they learned that he'd discharged himself, and nobody knew where he was. They had of course tried to call his cell phone, but it was off. It wasn't until the sheriff himself had called in, that they finally got his location.

They wanted to come and talk to him, but he suggested that he'd come to the station instead. He was urged to bring the evidence he stole, and was reminded that he was on suspension for the time being.

Sheriff Stilinski had made the call early that morning, but with the commotion around Allison's return, he'd completely forgot about it. After everything had calmed down and he sat there indulged in his own thoughts, he suddenly remembered.

"I have to go to the station. I should have been there days ago." He got up from his seat, but had to grab on to the back of the couch because he felt dizzy. Melissa hurried to get to his side. "Not alone you're not." She threw a glance around the room. "Anyone? Or do I have to go with him myself."

Mr Stilinski shook his head. "No, you're not." He too panned the crowd in there. "I need to go home and get the... uh, the list, lists I..." He drew his breath. "I have to hand in my badge. The suspension was effective from Monday, so it's overdue."

Chris volunteered to take him. "I can't stay here all the time, regardless. I can't wait for Hester to attack." He grabbed Allison's bag, and turned to his daughter. "We're going home. We can defend ourselves."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Scott jumped between Chris and his daughter. "No, I mean, eh, no!" He seemed slightly panicked. "We shouldn't split up. What if she comes? We have to..." He got cut off by Mr Stilinski. "We tried this, and it was helpful to us all at the time, but now..." He sighed. "We have to try to get back to normal. We're gonna kill each other if we get stuck up here forever."

Scott didn't look convinced. He obviously wanted to keep this weird pack together. "I hope that Hester can look at us as a too strong force to attack." He drew his breath. "I can see you alls' point, but... Hey Stiles! Derek! Give me some support here."

Stiles didn't know what to say. He was fed up with having all these people around a long time ago. He just wanted to heal and be with Derek alone as much as possible. It took a little while for Derek to reply also. He seemed to think about the options, before he got up and started pacing. "I see your point Scott, but I have to agree with them." He stopped and nodded towards Stiles and the sheriff, throwing his hand out to include Melissa. "We just need to find a way to protect them in their homes."

He sighed, and looked down for a moment. "The rest of us... uh, well, we should be able to defend ourselves. Although, nobody should go out alone."

The discussion went high. Scott was not ready to cave in to this insanity. He wanted to protect everybody, but it would be impossible if they were scattered around Beacon Hills. "I, we. oh, we have to stick together."

Mr Stilinski managed to get to his feet. He cleared his throat loudly to get everyone's attention. "It's not healthy. We have to look at this as if we're living in a war-zone " He cleared his throat. "We can make plans and everything, but being cooped up here just waiting for an attack is just... We have to try to be normal – to act normal."

Scott knew that what Mr Stilinski said made sense, and he didn't want to be stuck in the loft himself. "You're thinking that this will be a long-time thing. That we need to get back to our lives and deal with whatever comes up?"

The sheriff nodded slightly and seemed to think about it for a second. "Exactly. Fear is just going to cripple us. We could get hit by a car at random; we can't possibly know when we're going to die." He sighed. "As a police officer, I never know if I will survive a shift, but letting the fear in is never an option."

The little speech changed Scott's point of view, but it didn't prevent him from trying to argue his own opinion. "I understand, but isn't it too early? You Sir, are not fit for fight, and Stiles can't even walk. We should wait."

There was a short discussion, but eventually Scott had to cave in. Chris and Allison left without Mr Stilinski. It was settled that he should stay behind until he got his strength back, so Derek would take him to the station. Melissa was also more than ready to go home, and managed to convince Scott to come with her.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Since he was still recuperating, Mr Stilinski wasn't subjected to any tiresome interviews about the animal attack, but he was urged to be available at all times. Even if he was on suspension, the sheriff still managed to get some information about the investigation on Boyd's and Erica's murders.

They've learned that Erica had had sex before she was killed. The decomposition of the body made it impossible to tell if it had been consensual, but the fact that she'd been beaten, and possibly held prisoner for an extended period of time, made them think that it was rape.

"Vernon Boyd was probably her boyfriend. He could have gone after the assailant on his own." The deputy in charge, shook his head and pointed to the lists. "We think that these people could have known about the rape, and that the perpetrator wants to silence them."

He sighed and shook his head. "I can understand that you didn't want to involve your son, but we will have to interview him, and also his friends."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Derek was a little worried about how it would go. He wondered if Hester was keeping an eye on them, but deep down he was happy about this outcome. Even if the sheriff was there – possibly making it a little awkward – Derek hoped that he could share his own bed with Stiles now.

Mr Stilinski had told him the news from the station and asked him if there was a sliver of truth in it. Derek didn't want to get into that, and managed to avert the question by suggesting what they'd pick up some takeout from the burger joint. They eventually decided against it, but the sheriff didn't ask again; it was obvious that he really didn't want to know. He was perfectly aware of the fact that werewolves were involved, and that the suspected rape of Erica had nothing to do with it all.

When they came to the loft, Stiles was leaning on the counter watching Alex flip pancakes. On the stove, there was a big pot emitting a delicious smell of tomatoes and herbs.

"It's a little late for breakfast, but does it matter?" Alex threw a glance over his shoulder as he poured more batter into the pan. "I needed to make something simple because I started planning dinner also."

Derek got a little thrown by the confidence in the guys voice; he'd definitely made himself at home. Stiles smiled widely and waved them over. "You know, Alex is a really good cook. We didn't know. At least he claims to be." He pointed to Alex. "He just went for it, and it looks like he knows what he's doing."

Isaac was nowhere to be seen, but the sound of running water from the bathroom gave a clue to his location. Stiles obviously noticed that Derek stared at the door. "Yeah, Isaac. He's been in there forever. I think he..." Stiles gave a quick nod in Alex' direction. "There's something."

Alex didn't seem to notice that Stiles was gesturing behind his back. He focused on his task. "I like to cook, and I think I'm pretty good at it. Hester never complained." He made the pancake take a somersault in the air. "I'm almost done here. Grab a plate."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Stiles was happy with the new development. He had for a long time felt that it was to crowded in there. As soon as everybody else left, Isaac had locked himself in the bathroom leaving Stiles and Alex alone. Alex seemed like a nice guy, and the two of them had had a chance to talk a little.

When he asked for a guided tour through the kitchen, he'd helped Stiles to his feet and practically carried him around. After a quick assessment, Alex had just started cooking. Stiles tried to tell him that he didn't need prove himself, but it was futile. "I'm a decent chef, I want to do this. I like to cook."

Alex kept peeking at the bathroom door as he dug through the fridge and the cupboards. "I should tell you about myself. It's not pretty. I'm not proud of what I had to do to survive." He chopped garlic and dumped it in a pan with some dried oregano. "Would have been better with fresh." He added a little oil and threw a quick glance at Stiles as he stirred the mix.

Stiles thought he was going to get a recap about how it was in Hester's house, but Alex went a little further back. He was keeping his voice down, and Stiles suspected that he didn't want Isaac to hear it. It was a sad, sad story.

He was born to a single mom and when he was around four, she'd met the guy that became his stepfather. It was a religious man who believed in corporal punishment. Alex was a wild child, and had to live through ten years of serious abuse before he eventually just left.

What he had to do to survive on the streets abhorred Stiles, and he could easily understand that he felt saved when Hester turned him. That his life in her house resulted in even more abuse didn't bother Alex so much. He'd felt that he was appreciated on some level. Hester always told them when to get ready for it. He didn't have to watch his mouth or his behavior. Hester's abuse was rarely a punishment for anything he'd done wrong. It happened, but even then she'd explained herself, unlike his stepfather.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Isaac tried to listen in, but he had to pretend to be in the shower. The sound of the running water distracted him somewhat, so he didn't catch the whole conversation between Stiles and Alex. Part of it he got, and it made him feel more attached to the guy. He'd obviously been seriously abused by a father-figure, just like Isaac.

It was sad to hear that Alex had lived on the streets for years. Part of the conversation got lost in the sound of streaming water, but Isaac could have sworn he heard something about a drug habit. He only had to guess how Alex supported his addiction, but then again, Isaac wasn't even sure if Alex was talking about himself at that point.

After several days shadow-boxing with the guy, Isaac didn't really know how to approach him again. In between the eavesdropping, he spent almost the entire time in the shower going through the different options. When he heard that Derek and Mr Stilinski were back, he knew he'd lost the momentum for a while. He'd hoped to catch Alex off guard when he was alone in the kitchen. Procrastinating had not turned out well.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

As soon as the pancakes were gone, Mr Stilinski had withdrawn to Isaac's room, claiming he needed a nap. There had been no discussion on the sleeping arrangements after most of the guests had left, but Derek had moved all Stiles' belongings to his room. Stiles wasn't sure if he could spend the night there. He wondered if his dad would comment on it.

Alex had put on some music, and was humming along while he was busying himself with cooking. Isaac had eventually got out of the shower, and seemed to do his best not to stare at the guy. Stiles found it incredibly humorous, but managed to keep it to himself.

With the delicious scent from the kitchen tickling his nose, he cuddled up with Derek on the couch. "Alex seems like a nice guy. I didn't know he could cook. Did you?" He moved his hand up Derek's thigh, brushing the crotch area with his thumb. Derek drew his breath quickly and pushed it away. "No, I didn't know." He chuckled a little and squeezed Stiles' hand. "That was a bold move."

Stiles hadn't even been aware of what he was doing, but Derek's reaction made him want to tease him. He leaned in and gave Derek's earlobe a lick, before he grabbed it with his teeth and bit down gently. Derek pulled his head to the side. "Seriously, what are you doing?" He was still smiling, but there was a hint of surprise in his eyes. "Now? Don't you have any shame?"

When Stiles realized what Derek was thinking, he got a little embarrassed. He'd only wanted to tease his boyfriend. "Well, why not? You clearly have no qualms about having sex in public." He nodded towards Alex and rolled his eyes. He wasn't sure if Isaac and Alex were paying any attention to them, but he kept his voice down. The music was possibly loud enough to prevent anyone hearing much of the conversation.

It took a while for Derek to respond and in the meantime, Stiles managed to ease his free hand up Derek's back under the T-shirt. "I kinda liked it, but you... you didn't tell me that he, " Stiles nodded towards Alex again. "That he was there." It had been somewhat exciting having sex on the couch with people so close, but that was before he knew that Alex had been there, awake and alert.

Derek let go of Stiles' hand and rubbed his forehead. "I didn't plan it, but you know... After everything that had happened, I just needed you." He leaned in a gave Stiles a kiss. "I just wanted to forget about everybody else."

Stiles huffed. "Yeah right! That's why you got that body lotion-bottle-thingy? Because you didn't plan it! Try again buddy!" He punched Derek on the shoulder. "You're the one with no shame."

None of them noticed that Alex approached them, and they both got startled when the guy leaned over the back of the couch. "I may overstep my boundaries here. I don't know if I'm still a prisoner." He was whispering. "I am not particularly squeamish, and I've seen and heard it all before, but I just want to say please, please, get a room."


	44. Chapter 44

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The guys left at the loft are in awe about Alex' cooking skills. Scott is not happy with the development, but he manages somewhat. Allison is worried, but at the same time she kind of like her new self. Finally Derek and Stiles get to share a real bed. Isaac and Alex have a short chat, and Alex makes a bold move. Joy plans on taking matters into her own hands. No smut, but lots of thoughts about it.

They had the most excellent meal. It was a pasta-sauce to die for, homemade garlic-bread and a variety of meats cooked to perfection. Alex almost got standing ovations as he got up and cleared the table. He put away the leftovers before he handed out slices of the pie he'd scrambled together from ingredients Derek didn't even know he had. When everybody was fed, Alex tidied everything and cleaned the kitchen.

Derek didn't bother to offer any help or make to much of a fuzz about it. If Alex felt that he needed to make amends for anything, Derek didn't really care. If he wanted to clean and cook, it was fine by him. Stiles and his dad were in no condition to do any domestic chores, and Isaac was not quite himself. He was pacing around, obviously too shy to offer a hand.

Derek expected that the sleeping arrangements would be brought up sooner or later, and he was ready to face Mr Stilinski. Turned out, it went smoother than he'd anticipated. The sheriff asked Isaac if he wanted his room back. "I can use the couch, I'm guessing that these two..." He nodded towards Stiles and Derek. "That they'll sleep in Derek's room." He had a small frown on his face as he said it, but then he offered a lopsided smile.

Stiles' face turned red in an instant and he tried to say something, but was obviously a little tongue tied. His dad huffed. "I don't really like to think about it so I won't, but I realize that there's nothing you can do in there that you couldn't have done before." He seemed equally as embarrassed as his son. "But of course, this room is big; there's plenty of space if one of you wants to sleep on the floor."

He turned to Isaac and repeated: "But you. Do you want your room back? It's not right that I take it away from you." Isaac shrugged a little before he shook his head. "No, it's okay. You're a guest. I'm perfectly fine with the couch, I've been sleeping on the floor lately." He chuckled. He sounded nervous even though there was no reason to be.

Stiles seemed happy about the leeway he got when his dad turned to Isaac, and his natural skin tone came back. "It's okay. Isaac and Alex can sleep out here and fight over the couch. Personally, I look forward to sleep in a real bed, with or without Derek." He peeked at Derek and smiled shyly. "But thank you for being so... understanding and, that you, I mean." He had to pause for a moment. "I know it couldn't have been easy to... uh, thanks. I will say no more." The pink hue was back on his cheeks. He didn't try to hide it, but it was obvious that he was extremely embarrassed by the situation.

Derek wanted to hug Stiles, but didn't want to add to the embarrassment; he got up and fetched a bottle from the counter. "A little drink, Sir?" He waved the bottle in front of him to get the sheriff's attention. Without waiting for an answer, he poured whiskey into two tumblers before he went back to the couch. "Here."

-o-o-o-o-o-

"I can't be among people, I'm afraid I'll hurt somebody." Allison twisted her hands and looked at her dad. "I have to learn how to control this, I need an, an, anchor." She wasn't sure how it worked, but she'd heard Scott and Derek mention this. "Maybe Derek can help me find it?"

Chris shook his head. "He may be able to guide you, but I think you have to find it yourself." He shrugged. "I don't know how it works either, but I think you need a memory of something or someone." He huffed. "Yeah, I guess Derek would be able to explain it better." He grabbed his daughter's hand and squeezed it gently. "Don't worry about it tonight. Let it go for now. Get some sleep, it's a long time till the next full moon."

Allison nodded and eased her hand out of her dad's grip. "Yeah, I guess you're right." Thinking back, she remembered that she hadn't slept a wink since yesterday morning. "I am tired." She said goodnight, and left her dad to go to her room.

It looked different. It smelled different. It sounded different. She panned the room and noticed the thin layer of dust on the surfaces. She could hear that old clock ticking loudly, and her nose got tickled by the sweet, fruity scent from a half empty glass of apple juice on the nightstand.

The lights were off, and the only illumination of the room came from the waning moon partially covered in clouds. Allison could still see the details of her room as if it was sunlight streaming through her window. Sounds of cars mixed with faint noises from the nocturnal creatures around the neighborhood trickled into her ear. She could smell the sweat from the clothes in the hamper. Blushing a little to herself, she recognized the scent of sex from the bed. Allison didn't know how it would be possible to sleep with all these things bothering her senses.

She stripped down to her underwear and examined her own body. The scars from Hester's teeth had been a vague trace last night. Now, they were completely gone. Her wrists and ankles showed no evidence that she'd been bound with iron cuffs digging deep into her skin.

A further examination revealed that the two small zits on her chin, that she'd done her best to cover up with make-up, were gone also. Scars from old injuries were also just a distant memory, and she had to smile to herself in the mirror. Her body was flawless.

She was still concerned about all the noises. Allison wondered if the other werewolves were bothered by this, or if it was a way to control it. She slipped under the comforter on her bed and wrapped her arms around the pillow. It surprised her when the memory of her mom hit her. Thinking back, she remembered spilling some of her perfume on the pillow shortly after her death. Allison had wanted to remember her, and had brought the little bottle with her in bed.

It was a long time ago, and the pillow had been through the wash a few times, but the scent was still lingering. Allison pushed her face into the pillow and drew her breath deeply. With her eyes closed she could see her mom the way she was before, as the strict, but caring person who'd always put Allison first.

With the memory of herself as a child on her moms lap, laughing as she got tickled, the sounds from outside faded. The ticking from the clock didn't bother her anymore, and the only scent she could sense at the moment was that vague, flowery smell of her mom.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Scott didn't want to be there. He was torn between taking care of his mom, and the wish to be with Allison. He hadn't even got a chance to digest the fact that his girlfriend was a werewolf. He'd been there for most of the transition, but he didn't get much of a chance to talk to her after. He didn't get much of a chance to even hug her.

In the car back to the loft, she'd spent most of the time explaining her behavior over the last couple of days. She'd been in the back seat, so cuddling up wasn't even an option.

When they came to Derek's place, and after Allison was eventually done in the bathroom, everybody wanted a piece of her. Scott felt a little left out. When Chris decided to leave with his daughter, Scott had tried his best to prevent it. He knew that sleeping together wasn't an option, but getting a chance to hold her and talk with her should have been possible.

He paced his room and wondered if he should just leave. He could sneak out through the window and hopefully make sure that he wasn't spotted. The conflict in his mind threatened to cripple him. Leaving his mom alone in the house could turn out bad, but Allison was probably extremely freaked out at the moment, and could need a friend.

Allison's phone was turned off, so calling her hadn't resulted in anything. Scott knew he could try their land-line, or even Chris, but he didn't want to have to explain himself to her dad.

Through the door, he could hear that his mom was still up. He could understand that this was taking it's toll, and that it could be difficult for her to fall asleep. The sound of her moving around between the living room and the kitchen made Scott sad. He knew that he was partially to blame and contemplated on joining her. They could both need someone to talk to. Before he'd managed to make his mind up – it took a while – she ascended the stairs and went to her room.

Scott lied down on the bed and stared into the ceiling. So much had changed lately, that he had a hard time keeping up. Being used to Stiles pulling the strings, Scott was surprised by his friends lack of participation. Derek had acted like a pack-leader, and pulled it off well. He'd been prone to screw up everything in the past, but now it seemed like his luck had turned.

The weird and somewhat amusing relationship – or lack thereof – between Isaac and Alex was quite a puzzle, and it could be interesting to see where that was going. Even if he believed that Allison had been hanging with Alex just to cover up that she was bitten, Scott could still feel the little pinch of jealousy thinking about it, so he hoped that his perception was correct. He hoped that Alex was gay.

With all these thought occupying his mind, sleep caught up with him. It wasn't a good, relaxing rest – he woke up several times during the night – but the few hours of shuteye was better than nothing.

-o-o-o-o-o-

They didn't have sex that night. It wasn't because they didn't want to, and it wasn't because they were afraid anyone would hear them either. Mr Stilinski was sleeping too far away, and the two werewolves in the living room had already heard everything before.

It was more the fact that the sheriff suspected it would happen that made Stiles slightly intimidated. Derek didn't worry about it. He was more than happy to be in his own bed with his mate, so he didn't even question Stiles' choices.

The bed was big enough for two – or even three – people to sleep there comfortably without touching each other, but they didn't take advantage of it. Derek and Stiles cuddled up together as if they hadn't had a chance to do it in a long time. The space they occupied on the bed wasn't much bigger than the tight fit they had on the couch.

They had both taken a shower – separately – before they went to bed. Any piece of clothing that they had worn that day was in the wash, and Derek had changed all the bed linens. There was still a lingering scent of female pheromones in the room. It wasn't a problem, Derek kind of liked the scent of a woman. It could have aroused him at one point in time, but he'd always known that he preferred the musky smell from a male lover. There had been a few in the past, but it was ancient history. For Derek the hunt was over; the only person he wanted was right there next to him.

With his arms wrapped around Stiles, he got a little emotional. He worried that this war they were in could be too dangerous for his mate. Stiles was adamant about clinging to humanity, and wasn't interested in 'the bite'. Derek would never give it to him without consent, but a slight coercion couldn't be totally out of the question.

Derek just wanted Stiles to be safe and able to defend himself. A werewolf-Stiles would make it much easier. He pushed the thought out of his head and concentrated on the present. The vague scent of Melissa's 'Lily-of-the-valley' perfume was quite nice.

He tugged his mate even closer, earning a soft moan. Then he nuzzled his face into the back of Stiles neck and placed gentle kisses along the hairline. This was good. That Mr Stilinski had seemed to accept this was progress. Just as he was about to doze off, Stiles mumbled something. Derek wasn't sure if Stiles was talking in his sleep, but the words made him smile. He planted another kiss on Stiles' neck. "I love you too."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"Do you want to talk?" The whisper was barely audible, and Isaac didn't know how to respond. He'd done his best to act normal as everybody got ready for bed. Stiles had been the first one to turn in. He had managed to get to Derek's room by himself in spite of his injured foot. Derek and Mr Stilinski had finished their drinks before they too decided to call it a night.

After supper, and after Alex had cleaned and tidied the kitchen, he'd camped in his regular spot. He hadn't said a word since then, but Isaac had felt his eyes on him through the whole evening. Isaac had tried to be invisible, and for the other three it could appear that he'd managed. Derek, Stiles and Stiles' dad had been watching TV. They'd shared a few laughs, not paying much attention to neither Isaac nor Alex.

As soon as the couch was free, Isaac had grabbed a blanket and hurried to lie down. He knew that Alex couldn't see him from his position by the window, but it felt like his stare could possibly penetrate the back of the couch.

Isaac got startled when he heard Alex clear his throat. "Isaac?" It was still a whisper, but it had a little touch of urgency now. Isaac held his breath for a moment. He wanted to answer, but he wasn't sure what to say. "I know you're not sleeping. Could you at least say goodnight?" Alex sounded a little annoyed. Isaac felt like an idiot for not being able to talk to the guy. He drew his breath and swallowed hard. "Uh, goodnight."

For several minutes it was completely quiet in there, before Isaac could hear that Alex padded across the floor. He froze up, wondering what would happen. He dared to peek out from under the blanket and could see Alex' back as he entered the bathroom.

He sighed in relief, but at the same time he felt disappointed. It scared him a little to realize that he'd wanted Alex to come over. He stared at the door as he tried to justify his own thoughts, and when it opened, he didn't manage to avert his gaze fast enough. For a split second the two of them looked into each others eyes, before Isaac hid under the blanket again.

Alex closed the door to the bathroom, but didn't move away from it. Isaac could hear that he was cracking his knuckles. "I'm sorry I behaved like I did, but I wanted to help Derek save Allison." Alex drew his breath. "I couldn't tell you."

Isaac nodded to himself under the blanket. "It's okay. Derek saved you from her, I can understand." Even if Isaac was the one who responded to Alex' plea about taking him with them, it was Derek who'd made the call. Without his blessing, Alex would have been left behind.

As the words were uttered, Isaac could hear Alex rush towards him. He crouched down next to the couch and tugged on the blanket. "No, you saved me. Yeah, and Derek, but you... without you I would have been dead now."

Isaac lifted his head and looked at Alex. His face was less than a foot away. A smile was tugging his lips, but it seemed like he tried to hold it back. He was probably a bit unsure on how Isaac would react to his words. "I will forever be indebted to you."

In Hester's dungeon, Isaac had been intrigued by Alex' submissive behavior. He liked the feeling of having the upper hand. He'd wanted to save the guy, but for very selfish reasons. He 'wanted' Alex to be indebted to him.

During his stay at the loft, that had changed. If Alex felt like he owed Isaac anything, and if that was the reason he so desperately wanted Isaac to forgive him for shutting him out, Isaac didn't want to hear it. He had to admit to himself that he was falling for the guy, and he wanted it to be mutual. He didn't want Alex to think that he had to pay back a debt.

"NO! You don't owe me anything. You're part of the pack now, and we're equals. I forgive you, although it's nothing to forgive." He tried to pull the blanket over his head again. "I just want us to be equals. I can't bare the thought of..." He had to shut up. He didn't want Alex to know how he felt.

When he felt Alex' fingers on his cheek, he tried to pull away, but the back of the couch hindered it. He opened his eyes slightly. Alex cocked his head and huffed a little. "Isaac, I understand. You think that..." Isaac cut him off. "You don't understand shit. I don't understand... shit." He eased his hand up and covered Alex'. "Just go to bed."

Alex didn't move. He was breathing heavily before he let his eyes flutter shut. Isaac squeezed his hand gently. "You don't owe me anything." He repeated, as he let go of Alex' hand. When Alex pushed himself up from the floor, Isaac closed his eyes and relaxed against the pillow. He wasn't prepared for what happened next. Suddenly he felt a set of lips on his own. Alex' tongue darted out and Isaac opened his mouth slightly to let it in. It was a quick kiss, passionate, but hurried, and before Isaac knew it, it was over. "Consider that a payback. Now we can be equals."

His body's reaction to the kiss was instantaneous. Sweat was breaking out from every pore, his face was burning, and there was a tingle in his stomach as he felt his cock harden in his boxers. He wanted to reach out and pull Alex in, but his arms felt heavy, as if they were laced with lead. It took several seconds before he managed to focus. Alex wasn't there anymore. He grabbed his own cock to try to force the erection away. "'Night." Alex' voice came from somewhere behind him as the guy went to bed on the mattress by the window.

-o-o-o-o-o-

The young girl was staring at the building. She knew perfectly well that she was going to get punished if her mom – or technically her aunt – knew what she was up to. She'd snuck out and to avoid anyone hearing her, she'd set the car in 'neutral' and pushed it through the long driveway from the house. As soon as she was out of hearing range, she'd entered the car and taken off towards Beacon Hills.

Hester had decided to leave the pack there alone for a while. She wanted them to feel safe and let down their guard before she tried to attack again. Jade had agreed with their adoptive mother and had gone back to her studies as if nothing had happened.

Being identical twins, everybody thought that they were similar in every aspect. It wasn't quite right. Although they had most everything in common, things had changed when they were old enough to attend high school. Partially home-schooled, the two of them had been to an assessment test, proving that Jade was practically ready for college classes at the age of fourteen.

Joy wasn't ashamed of her score – it was above average – but she knew perfectly well that this would affect the rest of her life. Two years later, Hester revealed her decision. Jade was going to be the heir. If anything happened to Hester, Jade would take over the business and the pack.

For Joy it was okay, she knew she wasn't leader material. Neither Hester, not Jade had changed their behavior around her after the announcement, but Joy still felt inferior when it was only the three of them together.

She wanted to have her own little pet. Someone she could claim for herself. The Stilinski-guy seemed perfect, and she was happy to learn that Hester wanted to let her have him. She would have been happy to wait for that to happen if she hadn't overheard Hester talking with Jade about him.

"I'll break him in. Stiles Stilinski is going to beg for her to save him. I'll make sure that she'll have him under her thumb."

Joy didn't want that. If they managed to trap the boy, she just wanted Hester to bite him, but after that she could just leave him alone. Joy knew perfectly well what her aunt was capable of. She decided to take matter into her own hands and catch him on her own.


	45. Chapter 45

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They are all interviewed by the police. (Sorry guys, I totally forgot about Erica and Boyd for while. The investigation is ongoing.) The sheriff's words are working and they actually try to live as normal as possible. The normality doesn't work for Isaac, but it has nothing to do with Hester. At a little party in the woods they are being watched. Stiles is horny, but he's intimidated by his dad's presence at the loft. Alex makes a move, but Isaac doesn't respond; or maybe he does.

"I didn't know." Stiles was sitting in the interview room at the station trying to sound convincing. "Nobody told me anything." He threw his hands out. "Boyd was there, he saw it happen, but he didn't tell us who did it. He didn't tell me, anyway."

They had all been called in to explain what they knew about what happened to Erica and Boyd. After concocting a story based on the sheriff's knowledge of the investigation, Stiles had volunteered to go first.

"If the guy or the guy's that raped her want me dead because I knew too much, they got it all wrong. I don't know anything. Boyd and Erica were never friends of mine. We never hung out. Why would he tell me."

To make the tale plausible, they had tried to get it as close to the truth as possible. And the truth was that they didn't know shit about what happened to them before their bodies were found. Erica and Boyd had vanished and hadn't been heard from at all. Everything they knew about this had been discovered later.

Allison and Scott had more or less the same story to tell. They didn't know the two victims very well either. For Derek and Isaac, it was a little different. It was common knowledge that Erica and Boyd had hung out with the two of them on a more or less regular basis.

Isaac had been the closest to a friend Boyd ever had and in the interview, he'd told them that he knew about the rape. Technically he didn't no anything about any rape, and he was pretty sure Erica and Boyd had had sex with each other completely voluntarily. "He didn't tell me who did it. Boyd was adamant about pursuing the guy himself. I tried to stop him, but what could I do." He looked down at his own body. "Boyd was much stronger than me. I couldn't fight him, and I promised not to tell anyone."

Derek shook his head and tried to put up a sad face. "I should have known. He should have told me. I could have helped him." He scratched his chin absentmindedly and sighed. "Isaac told me about it after. I tried to look for him, for Boyd, but I couldn't find him." He huffed. "It saddened me to learn that he was dead, but he was trying to revenge his girlfriend. It was commendable."

The officer had cocked his head, and stared at Derek for a moment before he threw a glance at the papers in front of him. "His girlfriend, uh? About that. There are some rumor going around that she was your girlfriend. That you used to pick her up from school..." He let the sentence hang there waiting for Derek's reply.

With a scoff, Derek shook his head. "Oh, no. I really don't care for girls that much. I mostly play on the other team."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Everything went back to normal. Maybe not quite, but they managed to push the fear away and get on with their lives. After their visit to the station, the police hadn't bothered them much. Mr Stilinski had collaborated their story and even on suspension, he had some kind of authority in the force. They believed that he hadn't taken the evidence to screw up the investigation, but that he'd just wanted to keep his son out of it.

Derek spent all his days at the Hale-house, tearing it down. Isaac was at his side most of the time, showing no signs of exhaustion after hours of work. When he wasn't there, he hung out at the McCall house, with the excuse that Melissa needed someone to protect her when Scott couldn't.

Scott was working at Dr Deaton's clinic every day now. Melissa went back to work also. Scott or Isaac followed her to the hospital for every shift. When it was over one of them was there to take her home again.

Chris and his daughter came to the Hale-house ever so often and lent a hand. Allison was earning a few bucks doing paperwork for her dad, but business was slow in the summer so they both had a little bit of time on their hands.

It took less than three days to tear down the remnants of the house. Derek decided to leave the foundation as it was, saving the basement. Stiles looked at the bare floor. He tried to picture a house in front of him, and he also tried to picture himself living in it. He loved Derek and he loved this part of the woods. If his dad would let him, he'd move in with Derek in a heartbeat.

Stiles would have wanted to help, but his foot was still hurting so he couldn't really do much. With some of the scrap materials and some bricks from the old chimney, he'd helped Alex and Chris build a outdoor stove. Alex had been full of energy and enthusiasm when they started the work. He wasn't particularly skilled in construction – or deconstruction – but nobody could complain about the effort he put into it.

They all decided to celebrate the progress with a little party in the woods. Alex volunteered to cook. He wasn't much of a builder, and Chris had been about to rip his hair out when they made the brick stove together, but he quickly managed to find out how to use it.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

The last few days had been exhausting. It wasn't the labor that took it out of him, and it wasn't the fact that he wasn't sleeping enough. Hanging around Scott's house guarding Melissa when she had to sleep after a night shift, wasn't particularly strenuous either. The thing that tired him the most was to avoid Alex.

They spent hours together working at the Hale-house, but it was only when they took a break that thing became a little awkward. So, Isaac didn't take breaks. He scheduled his days after Melissa's and Scott's work hours and managed to keep himself busy at all times. They both claimed that he didn't have do it, but hanging at the loft in his spare time with Alex so close wasn't an option.

The kiss had not been mentioned, and Alex hadn't done anything to suggest that it meant anything more than he'd said that night. Maybe it 'was' just a payment for a debt. Maybe he wasn't interested in Isaac on any other level. When Isaac let him off the hook, telling him that he didn't have to redeem himself in any way shape or form, Alex was probably satisfied with that.

If Alex manage to act normal around Isaac, it didn't quite work the other way around. Isaac couldn't even look at the guy without feeling sorry for himself. His gay adventure was over. It would never become anything of it, and he wasn't sure if he could feel the same about any other guy. He'd tried to ease the pain with porn magazines, jerking off looking at pictures of hot, naked girls. It didn't really work. Even if he managed to cum, it wasn't the girls that did it. He tried to tell himself it was, but he had to admit that it was the memory of the kiss that put him over the edge every time.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

She could hear them long before she could smell them or even see them. They weren't too loud, but sounds travel a long way in forest in the dead of night.

Joy kept her distance as she scouted out the crowd. There was a fire burning in the middle of the open area. Derek Hale was sitting on a wooden stool with his arms wrapped around the Stiles-boy. Stiles was on the ground leaning his head on Derek's chest. There was a sparkle in his eyes as he turned his face upwards and smiled to his mate.

Chris Argent – Hester's archenemy – was standing next to them, feeding the fire with a some twigs. He assessed his work before he grabbed a couple of beers from a cooler and handed one of them to an older man propped up in a dingy rocking chair. A woman was standing next to him, staring into the flames with a lopsided smile on her face. Joy didn't recognize them, and wondered if they were hunters or werewolves.

Soft music was playing from a boombox sitting on the remnants of a front porch. In the background, she could see Scott McCall in a tight embrace with – could it be? – Allison Argent. They were moving slowly in sync with the music on what seemed to be the foundation of a house. Joy suddenly recollected a memory about this house. She was only a little girl back then, so it was a little blurry, but she knew she'd been there before. She also knew what had happened to the Hale-family later.

She recognized Alex flipping burgers on a somewhat crooked brick construction resembling a stove. He was laughing at something she couldn't really catch, and seemed happier than she'd ever seen him before. At the far end of the front yard, where the light from the fire didn't reach him, a tall lanky character was walking around by himself. Ever so often, he picked up something, maybe some firewood. She nodded to herself when she remembered him. It was Isaac Lahey. He seemed a little lost and didn't join in when the others occasionally laughed out loud.

Suddenly, Stiles started struggling to get to his feet. Derek practically lifted him up and whispered something into his ear. Stiles smiled and pointed to the treeline, before he gave Derek a quick kiss on the cheek.

He was limping heavily as he moved directly towards Joy. She was pretty sure he couldn't see her, but she still ducked down between the bushes. At the edge of the clearing, he peeked over his shoulder before he took a few more steps in between the trees. He leaned on an old oak as he started to unbuckle his belt.

Joy knew that this could be her chance. If she hurried, she could catch him and subdue him without alerting the rest of the pack. The music and the laughter would possibly cover up the noise. After throwing a glance at Alex, seeing his bright smile as he handed out burgers, she hesitated. In the corner of her eye she could see that Stiles was about done peeing, but she didn't move. She'd never been directly unhappy with her life, but these people showed her a happiness that she'd barely known. Even if they were under a threat, they still managed to enjoy themselves in a way she could only vaguely remember from when she was little. Way back when her grandparents were still alive.

Stiles pushed away from the oak and turned towards the others. Joy knew her moment had passed, and she didn't regret it. Slowly but surely she walked backwards, retracting from the scene before she turned around and ran out of the woods towards the car.

-o-o-o-o-

Isaac felt a little lost. He could have joined the others by the fire, but he was afraid he'd kill the mood. The adults were chatting up a storm. Stiles and Derek participated for the most part, but in between they whispered to each other, giggling ever so often.

Scott and Allison withdrew from the others for a while, smooching and slow dancing, but now they were back by the fire. They sang along with the tune from the boombox, earning a few laughs from their parents and the rest of the crowd.

Alex was practically dancing around that weird construction they called a stove. He was tending to the burgers Chris had provided, but left the food alone from time to time just to share a word or two with his former prison guards. Everybody seemed so happy.

As far as Isaac could notice, nobody payed much attention to him. Alex hadn't even looked at him once in the last hour. The only one that had tried to pull him over was Allison, but she got distracted when Scott asked her to choose the music. That was about forty minutes ago. Since then, Isaac had just walk along the treeline, picking up some dry twigs here and there and dumped them next to the fire, before he went back to find some more. He got a quick 'thank you' from Chris, but other than that, he felt somewhat ignored.

He knew it was his own fault. He could just sit down with them and chat, but then he'd probably would have to interact with Alex also, and that would be too awkward.

-o-o-o-o-o-

"We could sleep here under the stars." Stiles nibbled on Derek's earlobe as he whispered. "Just the two of us." Derek chuckled a little and pulled away. "I'm not so sure it is a good idea. We would be easy targets if Hester comes." He knew perfectly well why Stiles suggested it, but risking their lives for a fuck wasn't worth it. "If you weren't so worried about your dad staying at the loft, you wouldn't even have thought about it."

Stiles pouted a little. "Would too!" He gave Derek a punch to the chest. "You think that's all I want from you?" He threw a quick peek around. Nobody was within hearing range. "Okay, so you're right, but..." Derek pulled him into an embrace. "We have time, don't worry about it."

The fire was about to die down. It was late, or early, depending on how you looked at it. It would still be a few hours till sunrise, but there was a faint glow on the horizon telling them that it was way passed midnight.

"I guess we have to head home then." Stiles unwrapped himself from Derek and looked around. Alex and Melissa had put the leftovers in one of the coolers, and Chris was carrying it to his car. He was the one who'd provided all the food for the party anyway. It was a warm summer night, so the blankets they'd brought were never used. Scott piled them up, before he and Allison stuffed them in the trunk of Derek's car.

Derek was still sitting next to the dying fire, seemingly indulged in his own thoughts. "One day." He sighed and looked at the others. "One day I will invite you to a party, and you can all spend the night in my house." He nodded towards the empty foundation. "I just have to start building it."

They all gathered around him. "We have a few beers left. Lets polish them off as we make a toast." Chris reached into the other cooler and pulled out a bottle for each of them. Melissa was about to protest when he started handing out beers to the teenagers also, but Chris waved his hand in the air. "Let them have one, relax."

Stiles didn't notice at first, but there were two people that didn't participate in the toast. As they drank the beers slowly, sharing a few ideas about how the house should look, Stiles saw Alex and Isaac hanging by the treeline. They didn't stand very close together, and it didn't seem like they were talking with each other either. Stiles smiled to himself. It was still progress. Isaac seemed to have done his best to avoid the guy, and Alex hadn't even tried to make a move. Stiles had spent time with them both, and he'd seen the peeks they've thrown at each other when they thought nobody noticed. The last few days it had been even worse, but he'd decided to keep it to himself for the time being.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Alex was happy. He could almost feel his heart grow in his chest when he looked at the group gathered around the fire. He was part of this. He was part of this weird pack, and it made him a little emotional. The only thing that disturbed this joyous feeling was the fact that Isaac didn't seem to share it.

He'd been waiting for Isaac to say or do something after it was revealed that Alex hung with Allison only in order to save her life. When that didn't happen, he'd decided to take matters into his own hands. Isaac had still been evasive, forcing Alex to make that bold move. He'd hoped that the kiss would lead to something, but he hadn't been prepared for Isaac's reaction.

For three whole days, he'd only seen Isaac when they worked at Derek's house. In the evening on the first day, he'd actually tried to talk to him, but the moment Derek decided to call it a night, Isaac had left to got to Scott's house.

Maybe he'd got it all wrong. Maybe Isaac wasn't interested at all. Maybe he thought that Alex had gone a step to far with that kiss. Maybe Isaac was angry at him because he'd overstepped a boundary he hadn't been aware of.

During the party in the forest, he'd tried to make eye-contact with Isaac on several occasions. If it was true that Isaac didn't want him in that way, he had to make amends. Avoiding each other wasn't an option if they were going to be in this pack together.

It wasn't until it was all over that Alex finally had Isaac close enough to actually speak to him without shouting. The others didn't pay attention when Alex turned to Isaac. "I'm sorry." He wasn't sure what he was sorry for. It wasn't the kiss. He would never be sorry about that, but he had to say something.

"Sorry? You're sorry. For what?" Isaac didn't look at him. "You have nothing to be sorry about." He kicked at a small tree stump. They were both staring at the group standing around the dying fire. "I, uh, I'm sorry if I did... I mean. You are avoiding me! Why?" The words just slipped out, but Alex needed to know.

The tree stump was getting quite a beating, before Isaac covered his face with his hands and rubbed his forehead as if he wanted to pull the skin off. "I've been busy." He lowered his hands and sighed heavily. "You're too cocky and, and... you can't just go around kissing people. I'm not... You can't just do that."

Alex forced down a chuckle. He had to turn away so Isaac wouldn't see the smirk on his face. When he managed to compose himself, he took a step towards Isaac. "I can. I did. And you know what? You kissed me back." He lifted his head and managed to catch Isaac's eyes for a split second. "A kiss... is just a kiss."

Isaac's eyes widened. "You caught me of guard. I didn't know... I, eh. I didn't know." Isaac stuttered a little and Alex knew exactly what the problem was. "Okay then. I can kiss you again and give you a fair warning. Is now okay?"

Isaac took a couple of steps back crashing into a tree. It startled him somewhat, but he didn't avert his gaze. "I don't think. No. Not now. But..." In the darkness of the woods Alex could still see the blush on Isaac's face. "Later, how about later?" He stared into Isaac's eyes gave him a wink. "I'll tell you when I'm going to do it, and you can push me away if you want to. Is that fair?"

Isaac didn't answer. Suddenly, he just pushed passed Alex and walked over to Scott. Alex sighed. He'd tried, but it had been futile. Isaac was going to leave with the McCalls, and keep avoiding him.

When everybody was entering the separate cars to go home, Chris offered to take Mr Stilinski. "Derek's car is not made for passengers. I'll drive you to his place." Alex was already in the backseat of the Camaro waiting for Stiles to join him, but when his dad took the offer, Stiles could ride shotgun.

As Chris was about to take off, Alex saw that Isaac ran over to his car. "Can you take me too? I'm staying at the loft tonight. I mean since you're going there anyway." He nodded towards the Camaro. "You're right. It's not made for passengers."


	46. Chapter 46

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Allison has a talk with her dad about moving out. Isaac chickens out again, but has to admit something to himself. Joy gets caught, but manage to get away with it. Smutty Sterek moment with touch of non-con and definitely a hint or two to coercion. Mention of sexual violence is also present. Alex cries himself to sleep, maybe.

"Would you ever condone it if I took Derek's offer?" Allison looked at her dad and cocked her head. She was pretty sure he wouldn't flat out support it, but she was curious. Chris focused on the road as he shook his head. "You don't even know if he meant it. Why would he want you to move in?"

During their little party at the remnants of the Hale-house, Derek had shared his wish to fill the house with people. He wanted to have a family – a pack – there. He'd suggested that Scott and Allison could come and live with him when they were ready to move out of their parents house.

Allison leaned forward in her seat. Mr Stilinski was riding shotgun, while she and Isaac were stuck in the back. "I'm a werewolf. Scott is werewolf. It makes sense that we stick together with our own kind. Derek grew up with a big family." She threw a peek at the sheriff. "I guess he wants Stiles to live there too, but for other reasons."

Chris looked at her through the rear-view mirror. "I heard what he said, but it could have been a heat of the moment thing. Why would Derek want to subject himself to the troubles of living with a bunch of teenagers?" He rolled his eyes. "He'd rip your throats out after one month. Literally."

Isaac let out a little chuckle, and Allison's dad frowned at him. "I've seen the loft. It's like a bachelors pad. You guys are not the tidiest people in the world." He scoffed. "As far as I can see, you'd be the only female in there. You think you could be a housewife?"

Allison slapped her dad gently on the shoulder, "Oh, you're so old fashioned. The fact that I'm a girl wouldn't automatically lead to that I had to..." She rolled her eyes. "I can stand my grounds, if Derek for one second thinks that inviting me to live there would give him a maid, he's in for a surprise."

Her dad didn't comment on it. He just shrugged and let out a small sigh. Allison knew her dad, and was surprised by the calmness he emitted regarding this. She would have expected him to protest even if he would know that it would be futile in the long run, but maybe he just looked at it as a silly idea and that it would never happen.

She knew that he had worried about her reaction when she learned that he was ultimately responsible for the long-con that prevented her to kill herself, and eventually lead to her turning. He hadn't mentioned it, but she had spotted the fear in his eyes, as if he expected her to attack him. Sooner or later they would have to talk about it, but they had both avoided the subject so far.

For Allison it was simple. She was pissed off for being fooled, and she'd felt a slight resentment against her father, because he so easily had let her mom kill herself. She knew about the code and all that shit, but her mom could still be alive if he'd done the same for her. Gerard had been the one pushing hardest for that outcome, and Allison wished that her dad had been strong enough to stand up against him.

Earlier, she'd looked at him as unyielding and strong for sacrificing his wife for the cause. Now she looked at him as weak. She couldn't hate him, but she knew perfectly well that she had the upper hand in their relationship. Deep down, she was also grateful to him for saving her life.

He probably knew that if she decided to move into the woods with the rest of the pack, he couldn't stop her, but she wanted a little more passion from him about it.

They pulled out outside the loft and let Isaac and Mr Stilinski out before they drove home. Allison decided to let it go for the time being. The house had to be built first, and it could take a while. In the mean time, they had other issues to attend to. Hester would come back – Allison was sure of that – and she just hoped that she would get a chance to kill the bitch.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Isaac was nervous as he and Mr Stilinski ascended the stairs. Derek, Stiles, and Alex would be there soon, and Isaac had already started to regret not going with the McCalls. Alex would probably think that Isaac decided to come to the loft because of him. It wouldn't be far from the truth – it would actually be quite accurate – but Alex didn't need to know that. Alex had been way too sure of himself back there in the woods, and the power Isaac had felt he'd had over him for saving him was completely gone.

"If you want to go to bed right now, you can have your room back." The sheriff slumped down on the couch. "You've been working hard lately." He chuckled a little. "I would have wanted to help, but you know..." He sighed heavily and touched the bandages on his neck. Isaac knew. Mr Stilinski was still in recovery, and although he was getting stronger by the hour, he still had a way to go before he was fully recovered.

The blood loss had been enormous, and he'd been seconds away from dying. According to the information Isaac had, it could take a few more weeks before he was back to normal. During surgery, they had to cut open his throat to mend the ripped blood vessels, and he had a long scar with multiple stitches. It looked kind of fierce – Isaac had seen it when Melissa changed the dressing on it – but it seemed to be healing well.

"What are you thinking about?" Isaac startled when the sheriff addressed him again, and he chuckled a little nervously. "Oh, sorry. I... Yeah, maybe I should. I am tired." Sleeping in his own room with the door closed seemed like a good idea at the moment.

Isaac made up his mind in seconds and hurried to get ready for bed. "Just tell Al... Tell them that I don't want to be disturbed." He waved goodnight to the sheriff. He was still a little conflicted as he dived into bed, but he knew he couldn't face Alex at the moment.

Seconds later, he could hear them come in. "Where's Isaac?" It was Alex' voice, and Isaac felt his heart skip a beat. He could also hear the sheriff's response. "He was tired so I gave him his room back. He don't want to be disturbed. I believe he hasn't been sleeping much lately."

The TV got turned on, and the sound from it muffled the voices out there somewhat. Isaac could hear them whisper, but it was hard to follow the conversation. He was pretty sure that Alex didn't say anything. Most of the talking came from Stiles and his dad, with a few comments from Derek.

Isaac huddled under the blanket and tried to shut it out. With his hand inside his boxers, he thought about that kiss and it took only seconds for his cock to react. This time he didn't even try to think about naked girls. The only picture in his head was of Alex' face surrounded by those adorable curls. Isaac tugged on his dick pretending to stare into Alex' big brown eyes as those soft, moist lips moved closer to his. Within minutes, he was on the edge, and he dug his face into the pillow to prevent anyone hearing him. He'd prepared for this and grabbed the towel he'd brought for the purpose before he cummed into it.

-o-o-o-o-o-

When Stiles went to bed, he was slightly pissed off by Isaac's choice. Having his dad in the loft had so far been an effective cock-blocker. It was still a little intimidating, but he'd planned to not let it bother him tonight. He wanted Derek so much, and it felt like an eternity since they had sex. The rushed affair on the couch didn't really count; it was just a release. He wanted to make good proper love tonight. With daddy in the living room, it was not going to happen.

When they eventually went to bed, Derek mentioned his grumpy expression. "What? Are you mad for some reason? Did I do something...?" Derek undressed completely and scooted closer. "That frown doesn't look healthy." He chuckled silently. Stiles put his hand on Derek's chest to prevent him from coming any closer. "Sorry, but... Why the hell did Isaac take his room back. I wanted my dad to sleep there. He screwed up everything."

Derek nodded as he pushed Stiles' hand away. "I doesn't matter." With a quick move he rolled on top of Stiles, pinning him down. "You can be quiet, I can make sure of that." He covered Stiles' mouth with his hand. "I would have wanted to fuck you hard tonight, but I guess that is not an option."

Stiles tried to remove Derek's hand, but his boyfriend held on tight. "Relax. He's not going to hear a thing, right?" Derek pushed his pelvis down and moved it slightly. Stiles drew his breath through his nose and swallowed. He was rock hard inside his pajama-pants, and he cursed silently at his dick for betraying him.

He didn't fight it when Derek worked to get the pants off, and when their cocks rubbed together between them, he let out a faint growl. The excitement was about to overpower the embarrassment, and Stiles knew that he could not stop this even if his life depended on it.

Derek looked at him with a smirk on his face, as he removed his hand and leaned in for a kiss. "Think about what I can do to you when we are all alone." He whispered against Stiles' lips as he rotated his pelvis to create friction between them. "The next time we have this place for ourselves, I will fuck you so hard that you'll see stars. You'll beg me to stop, even if it's the last thing you want."

Stiles hitched his breath. His cock was twitching, and his head was spinning. He was completely unable to form any coherent words. Derek moved his head a little and nibbled at his ear. "I will tie you up and do things to you that will make you scream in pleasure and pain."

How Derek managed to get the lube out during this was beyond him, but Stiles heard the squirting sound from it and braced himself for what was about to come. He worried a little that he would not be able to keep quiet, but it was really too late to think about that.

Derek lifted his head and stared in to his eyes, before he leaned in and let their lips touch. Stiles could feel Derek's fingers on his ass-hole and he knew it would only take seconds for him to cum. Suddenly Derek thrust two fingers inside him, as he at the same time kissed him violently. Except for the guttural growl from his throat, Derek's mouth managed to prevent any other sound to come out. His head exploded when the orgasm hit, and his whole body was shaking as cum created a sticky mess between them.

Derek reached his hand down and gave his own cock a couple of tugs, before he too released his load over Stiles' stomach. "You, uh, did good." Derek hitched out as he rolled over pulling Stiles' with in a tight embrace. Stiles panted against Derek's chest. "You crazy son-of-a-bitch." He was still shaking as Derek moved his hand and stroke his back. He chuckled a little. "It's not nice to talk about someones mother like that, but under the circumstances I guess it's okay."

They didn't say anything more that night. With their bodies slick with sweat and with their cum mixed together between them, they fell asleep in each others arms.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Joy wasn't prepared for the scene that met her as she snuck through the door from the patio. She'd been so sure everybody was in bed, because there were no lights on.

Hester was lying on the couch, dressed in a silk morning gown. Her left leg was propped up on the back of the couch and she was breathing heavily as she tugged on Troy's hair. His head was partially covered with fabric from the gown as he did his best to pleasure her with his mouth.

Coagulated blood had stained the front of the garment, and Joy suspected that Eric was in his room recovering from the abuse he'd obviously been subjected to. She felt a little sorry for the guy, he had nobody there to comfort him anymore. She knew that he and Alex helped each other through it, but now he was all alone.

It took a few seconds for Hester to react to the disruption, and Joy had to listen to the slurping sounds from Troy as he kept at it. She was slightly grossed out from it, but it wasn't the first time she'd walked in on them, so she kept her cool.

"Where were you?" Hester didn't even look at her as she pushed Troy away. "You took a car." Joy shrugged and crossed the floor. "Nowhere, just went for a drive." She'd snuck out a few times over the last few days, but never got caught. "I'm bored. I just needed..." She sighed and turned to her adoptive mother. "You spend so much time with Jade teaching her the business. I just... I need something to do too."

Hester scoffed. "You were bored with school, and now you're bored with not having school. How can I please you?" She sat up and closed the gown. Troy had scooted to the side and was wiping his mouth absentmindedly. He was completely naked, and was sporting a semi that he didn't do a thing to cover up.

Joy shrugged again. "I'll be fine, I'm going to bed." She started to walk away. "I'm sorry I interrupted." In the corner of her eye, she could see that Hester shook her head. "Don't do it again, dear. I don't want to have to punish you." She chuckled a little as she grabbed Troy by his hair and pulled him closer.

She was happy that Hester didn't ask more about her little adventure. She didn't want to lie, partially because she was pretty sure Hester would see through it.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

From the years on the streets, Alex had learned few things that had come in handy. He'd soon discovered that keeping a low profile in encounters with new people, could be lifesaving. On the other hand, standing your ground, making sure everybody were aware of your boundaries, was equally crucial for survival.

With his small stature and his good looks – Alex was perfectly aware that he was perceived as a beautiful little thing – it had been very important for him to let people know that looks could be deceiving.

In the beginning, everybody thought he was a pushover, and he really was, but it took only a few weeks before he realized that he could use this to his own advantage. With pleading eyes and a pretty smile, he'd managed to get almost anybody to feel sorry for him. He'd received gifts and money from random people who didn't expect anything in return.

Some of them had another agenda, and he was many times tempted to take the offers he got from men who wanted to be with a young boy. He never did, even if he knew the money were good, especially from those who were admittedly pedophiles. At fourteen, he could easily be mistaken for a ten year old, so he was in high demand, but selling his body was never a real option back then.

It all changed when he got introduced to heroin. The other prostitutes had warned him about drugs, but on one cold winter night, he'd shot up and that was it. Even if he made a decent living from begging and stealing, he'd had to find other means to support his new habit. He still didn't want to let anyone fuck him, but if Hester hadn't found him when she did, he would eventually have caved in. The money he made from sucking dicks was barely enough to get a daily fix.

On the streets, he'd been a master in hiding his own emotions. So much so that he thought they were gone for good. In Hester's house he'd got them back somewhat, and it was all thanks to Eric. Immediately after the bite, the guy had taken care of him and soothed him. Over time, he'd taught him how to survive in the house and comforted him when the abuse got a little too rough.

He had still been reluctant to let go completely; Alex had had his share of disappointments, so he never trusted any of his pack members fully. When Derek and Isaac saved him, and he got to know them and their friends, he'd got a new view of life. To begin with, he'd thought he knew what Isaac wanted with him, and he was willing to oblige. Later he realized that Isaac himself didn't even know. It took only a couple of days before he started to feel for the guy. Those feelings changed rapidly from genuine care to include lust. That he'd cried himself to sleep a couple of times, made him worry that his feelings had taken another step. He didn't know what love felt like, but he wondered and also feared that he was falling for Isaac.

At the moment he was, however, very excited about the fact that Isaac was at the loft. He took it personally that the guy decided to go there after the little innuendo in the woods. Alex wasn't really sure what would happen, but street-life had taught him to wish for the best and expect the worst.

What he actually wished for was still a little unclear, but that little kiss had been promising. It wasn't only because he got aroused from it. The fact that he could have these feelings at all proved to him that he wasn't so screwed up as he'd thought. The risk of being disappointed again was bothering him, so he tried to not get in to deep.

"Where's Isaac?" Alex panned the room looking for the guy, but he wasn't there. When Stiles' dad told them that Isaac had gone to bed and didn't want to be disturbed, Alex got utterly disappointed. He'd been so sure that Isaac would be there waiting for him to make another move. He wasn't sure if he would have done anything tonight; the teasing was part of the game, but he would have wanted to have the option.

When they all went to bed that night, he thought about knocking the door to Isaac's room, but he was afraid of being rejected. It would of course always be a risk, but the closed door and Isaac's wish to not be disturbed, won this time. As he rested his head on the pillow, he told himself that he had time. Sooner or later, he'd get another chance to talk to Isaac alone. He didn't like the sting he got in his eyes as he threw a peek at Isaac's door, and he couldn't help it when a teardrop escaped and rolled down his cheek.


	47. Chapter 47

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More Sterek smut. Alex and Mr Stilinski have a conversation where Alex reveals his secret plans for survival in the pack. Secrets about Jade is also revealed. Mr Stilinski wants to go home, and does so. Stiles and Derek go with him, leaving Alex and Isaac alone at the loft. Allison struggles a little bit controlling herself, and decides to try to find her anchor on her own. Isaac finally dares to face Alex, and is a little disappointed. Alex acts like nothing have happened between them. Later, when Isaac is fed and relaxed, he gets an intriguing question.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought I'd update earlier, but I had an unexpected vacation trip with limited internet access. Chapter 47 is around the corner. I love your comments and hope to get some on this chapter. Thank you all so much for sticking with this long fic. I hope I won't disappoint you. Ever.

It had been the warmest night so far this summer, and it was steaming hot under the covers. Stiles flung the blanket aside to try to catch a little bit of coolness from the air. It helped a little. His body was covered in sweat, and not only that. Going to bed without cleaning up had been a bad idea. Stiles had cum everywhere, even in his hair. He wondered how he could get to the bathroom without anyone noticing.

The room that until last night had had a faint scent of Melissa was now reeking with male pheromones and sex. You didn't need wolf-senses to smell that. Derek was lying on his side with an arm under Stiles' neck. His skin was glistening in the sunlight, which was pouring through the window. His eyes were only half lidded, and there was a smile tugging on his lips. "G'morning." He whispered as he ran his hand down Stiles' torso. "Sleep well?"

Stiles turned to him and nodded. "Hmm, yeah." He covered his mouth with his hand and yawned. The yawn got suck in his throat when Derek grabbed his dick. "Oh, no, you're not!" He tried to push the hand away, but it was clenched firmly around his morning-boner. With his thumb, Derek rubbed the slit gently, as he moved in and gave Stiles' earlobe a quick lick. "Relax, it's still early, nobody is awake."

The slow tugs on his dick were quite pleasant, and Stiles decided to just indulge in the sensation. He closed his eyes and did his best to keep the breathing steady. Small faint moans escaped his throat, but he knew they wouldn't be audible for anyone outside the room.

"You want to fuck me?" Stiles startled when he heard the words whispered into his ear. It took a moment for him to realize the meaning, but his cock reacted instantly. It had been pretty hard already, but not fully erect. Now it felt like all the blood in his body had rushed to his crotch and it was almost painful.

Stiles hitched his breath and turned his head slowly to face Derek. "You, uh, can't say, eh, things like that." He tried to focus on Derek's eyes, but the memory from the shower, when Derek impaled himself on him came back and blurred his vision. It had been a new and exciting sensation, but he hadn't really participated much to it. Drugged up on painkillers and in no condition to move much, he'd just gone with it and enjoyed is as much as he could.

When he finally managed to get his eyesight back, he could see a little smirk on the face in front of him. "I guess that is a yes?" Derek gave him a quick kiss. "I can feel that the thought aroused you." He was still tugging on Stiles' dick and he had increased the speed somewhat. Stiles closed his eyes and tried to picture himself pushing his cock into Derek's ass. It was embarrassing how the mere thought of it made him cum. Streaks of white were pumping out, and he had to bite his lip to avoid making too much noise.

The blood that had been concentrated in his lower regions, rushed to his face and made his cheeks burn. Derek chuckled quietly as he drew patterns in the cum on Stiles' belly. "Hmm, you liked that thought, didn't you?" He lifted his hand to his mouth and sucked at his forefinger. "You taste good."

If the blood cells in his body had been equipped with a brain, they would be totally confused now. The signals they got had them running crazy. Stiles' cheeks were still uncomfortably warm from the blush, and he thought that there couldn't be much blood left in the rest of his body. Seeing Derek in front of him licking cum of his fingers, forced it back to his partially limp cock, and raised it to his fully erect state again.

"So that is a turn on for you?" Derek smiled at him and puckered his lips around his finger. Slowly he mover the finger in and out of his mouth. "Think about it. Your finger, my ass." Stiles groaned and covered his face with a pillow. "Stop it. Please." He grabbed the blanket and pulled it over his crotch. He could still hear the sucking sounds from Derek, and stuck his fingers in his ears. "No more, we have company, and I can't... I... you have to stop."

Derek's laugh was slightly muffled. Partially because Stiles fingers were pressed so far into his ears that he was pretty sure he could touch his brain, but also because Derek obviously tried to keep it down by covering his mouth.

"It's okay. I'm done. Come here." Derek removed the pillow from Stiles' face and forced his hands down. "It's just nice to know what you like." He smiled and stroke Stiles' cheek. "After all these months you haven't really told me. I've had to find out by myself."

Stiles sighed heavily and did his best to compose himself. "Well, technically I didn't really know myself, so..." He was still heaving a little. "I guess I too learned something new about myself today."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Mr Stilinski groaned as he stretched his body on the couch. It wasn't the worst sleeping quarters he'd ever experienced, but it came pretty close. He pitied the guys that had to sleep on this torture device while he'd been enjoying the comfort of Isaac's bed.

He should have used the spare mattress and crashed on the floor, but how could he have known. At home he'd fallen asleep on the couch multiple times, and it had been quite comfortable. Even if nobody had mentioned it, he knew that Stiles and Derek had shared this thing on a couple of occasions, and it was beyond him how they could possibly get any sleep out of it. He shuddered when he realized that they might not have been sleeping so much.

When he learned that his son was gay, it had saddened him. He wasn't homophobic or anything, but he knew what kind of hardships Stiles could experience. That he was in a relationship with Derek Hale had been even more disturbing. The guy had a reputation, and even if no charges were ever brought against him, he was still on the radar for the police.

Getting to know the guy had changed the sheriff's view on him, but he didn't believe for one second when he claimed that he and Stiles hadn't had sex. Mr Stilinski knew that he could have charged Derek with statutory rape, but he also knew that Stiles would resent him if he did. There were no indications to suggest that Stiles wasn't completely in on it either.

Mr Stilinski didn't know much about being gay, but he knew how boys were. He knew that given the opportunity, they would not hold back. Girls tended to be a little more cautious, although it didn't necessarily prevent them from going all the way either. He tried not to think about it, but it did bother him.

He heard a noise behind him and sat up abruptly. He felt the dizziness coming on, and had to take a moment before he turned towards the sound. Alex was struggling himself to his feet. "Oh, I'm sorry. Did I wake you?" He picked up the blanket and folded it nicely before he put it back on the mattress. The sheriff shook his head. "No, I was awake already." He tried to push himself off the couch, but his body was betraying him. He felt weak and after the night on the couch, he was aching in multiple places.

Alex rushed to his side. "You need any help, Sir. I... just tell me what you need me to do." He reached his hand out for Mr Stilinski to grab it. The sheriff shook his head. "No, it's okay. I just need a moment." He paused for a second. "Oh, you can help. Could you please make some coffee. I would have, but..."

Alex didn't hesitate for a second. "Sure, Sir. I'll do that. I'll make breakfast too. Just tell me if you need anything else." The boy hurried to the kitchen and prepared the coffeemaker, before he turned it on. Then he pulled a few items out of the fridge and started cooking.

"You went from being a prisoner to being a maid. How does that feel?" The sheriff was perfectly aware of the happenings that led Alex here in the first place. "From prisoner to slave." He said the words mostly to himself. Alex smiled at him. "No, it's not like that. I like to do this for them, for us."

The boy was quiet for a few seconds before he turned around and cocked his head. "I'm doing it for myself, really. I want to make myself irreplaceable. I want to be in this pack, and my trick is to win them over with good food." He chuckled a little as he turned back to the counter, but then he threw a peek over his shoulder. "And I really like to cook. I'm going to make this kitchen mine." Alex was beating a few eggs in a bowl. "I'm going to be the queen, uh, king in my little kitchen empire, and they won't even know what hit them." He looked at the sheriff and smiled shyly. "Don't tell them."

Mr Stilinski had to laugh. He'd seen this boy huddled up in the corner of the living room trying to be invisible. He hadn't payed much attention to him, but he'd got a feeling that he had been both scared and intimidated by Derek and the other werewolves in there. It was obviously not so. In the beginning, sure, but now he seemed more confident than any of them. He'd noticed the change when they were in the woods, but hadn't really spent much time thinking about it. "I won't tell, but you're a good cook, and you seem like a nice guy. I'm sure they will keep you."

Alex smiled and turned back to the counter. "This is so much better than at Hester's. Sure, there I had my own room and a nice bed, but here... I'm free."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Allison woke up early. She'd slept like a log, and felt completely rested. In a matter of seconds, the reality hit and she felt a shiver down her spine. She was a werewolf. She was a hunter. She squeezed her eyes shut and tried not to think. That was futile. She felt no urge to kill herself, but the conflict inside her was troubling. She'd woke up with the same thoughts in her head every morning since the full moon, but managed to push them away during the day.

The knowledge she had about werewolves, told her that she could 'wolf out' on any occasion if she didn't learn how to control it. The blood-lust could possibly cause her to kill innocent people in her path. Any situation that could increase her heartbeat, would be dangerous to people around her.

She knew perfectly well that it could take a while to manage the urges, and she should probably talk to Derek about it. Allison was pretty sure that Scott could also tell her what she needed to know, but she was worried about being around him too much until she could control herself.

The sexual attraction she felt when she thought about him, made her claws come out in an instant. She worried that she could rip his throat out in the heat of the moment, so it was better to stay away. She thought about the black widow spider, killing her lover during intercourse.

It had not been a problem when they partied in the woods, and Allison wasn't sure why. She still decided to play it safe and find out more before she dared to have sex with him.

-o-o-o-o-o-

"So when are we going to snuff them out." Jade was pacing the living room, doing her best not to look at Troy. The moment her mom had brought him into the house, Jade had fallen head over heals in love with him. At that point in time she was fifteen and not in any position to do anything about it. Now she knew she was the heir of this empire and sometimes, in the dead of night, she contemplated on killing her adoptive mother knowing that she'd inherit the business and the pack.

She usually shared every thought and feeling with her sister Joy, but this thing she'd managed to keep to herself. Her sexual frustration had led her to Eric's room on several occasions, but she could feel that he wasn't into it at all. He could probably sense the same from her, but they both managed to get a release to their cooped up desires.

Jade didn't know if Hester suspected anything, but she hadn't mentioned it. At one point in time Alex had walked in on them, but he he hadn't really seen much. Jade had been sitting on Eric's bed with her hand under the covers, working his dick to get him hard. When Alex emerged, they had both pretended that they were just talking.

When she didn't get an answer from her mom, she tried again. "When? We have to avenge this. They took Alex." She stopped and stared at Hester. Hester shook her head. "It wasn't such a great loss. He was weak." She sighed and rested against the cushions on the couch. "They will all die, and I'm working on it. Alex was a good boy and if you want him back, we can get him back, but I think he's compromised."

-o-o-o-o-o-

"I have to go home. I need to go home." The sheriff was pushing the leftovers around on his plate. "If not for any other reason than to check the house." Derek looked at him curiously. "I can check the house for you, that's not a good reason." He started to pick the dirty plates off the table. "I mean, if you want to go home, nobody can stop you, but..." He shrugged and was about walk over and put the plates in the dishwasher, when Alex grabbed them from him. "I'll do it."

Derek slumped down on the chair again. "Do you mean going home for good, or just..?" Derek threw his hand out and cocked a brow. The sheriff shrugged a little and took a sip from his coffee. "I don't know. I just need to get home for a while at least. Sleep in my own bed, you know."

Alex finished up clearing the table, and then he poured some more coffee for Derek and Mr Stilinski. As soon as Alex had gone back to the kitchen, Derek leaned forward and sighed. "I understand. It should be possible, but you can't be there alone." He nodded, mostly to himself. "I'll go with you."

Mr Stilinski seemed to think about it for a second, as he rubbed his chin. "Yeah... But what about Stiles? Would you leave him here with them." He nodded towards the kitchen. Isaac was still in his room, but Derek knew what the sheriff meant. He worried that Isaac and Alex couldn't protect his son.

"He, we could go there the three of us. I'm sure Stiles would like that." Derek looked up just as Stiles exited that bathroom. "What would I like?" He limped towards them, scrunching his face every time his injured foot touched the floor. "What are you talking about?" He'd reached the couch and slumped down, breathing heavily. "I should probably stay off it for a while longer." He lifted his foot and put it on the table. "So, what?"

When they told him about their plan, Stiles nodded seemingly in approval. "Yeah, sure. Splitting the pack up even more sounds like an excellent idea." His facial expression did not fit the hint of sarcasm in his voice. "Are we supposed to just leave Alex and Isaac to their own fate?" He rolled his eyes.

"This is the safest place around." Derek nodded towards Alex. "If they keep the front door locked and stay inside, they'll be fine." He shook his head. "You worry about them? We, you, will be more at risk, but I think we should take that risk. As your dad said before, we need to try to get our lives back."

After a little back and forth, they decided to leave in the afternoon. Alex hadn't commented on it at all, but he seemed to be okay with the plan. Isaac was still in his room, and they decided not to disturb him.

"Will you be bored?" Stiles addressed Alex when he came over with a plate of fresh baked cookies. The guy smiled at Stiles. "I'm never bored." He turned to Derek. "I would like to clean this place. Like really clean it." He looked down as if he was a little embarrassed. "I mean, it's not... I mean..."

Derek chuckled. "Don't worry, I know this place could need a good scrub-down. I'm not offended. Do whatever you like." The loft wasn't exactly filthy, but it bore clear signs of having inhabitants that didn't like to put too much effort into cleaning. "I mean if you really want to. Don't feel that you have to."

Alex smiled widely as he scooted away. "I really want to. It's not my favorite pastime, but I like a clean house." Derek picked a cookie off the plate and took a bite. "Mmm, good. Did you really make them just now?"

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Allison watched her dad examining the blueprints in front of him. He'd been excited to have found them, and he'd called Derek immediately. After talking on the phone for a while, he'd started to do some research online to learn as much as possible about building a house. In his younger years he'd worked construction to support himself through university. Being a part time student it had taken a while, so he'd participated in raising a few homes over the years.

He seemed eager to get started, and Allison got the feeling that he was even more into this than Derek. This morning he'd searched through Kate's belongings, because he knew she'd had the blueprints of the Hale-house stashed away somewhere. They all knew the reason for it, but that was ancient history now.

When Allison questioned his enthusiasm, he'd looked at her with a lopsided smile. "I can't hunt anymore, business is slow at the moment, I need something to occupy my mind and my body with." He'd sighed. "That doesn't mean I like the idea of you moving in there; that has nothing to do with it."

Allison knew. She was perfectly aware of her dad's opinion on that, even if he hadn't argued his point of view in so many words. If she decided to do it, there was nothing he could do to stop her regardless.

"We're, uh, Derek is going to need and electrician." He was probably taking with himself, so Allison didn't comment. "The plumbing could be tricky with such a big house, but I think I can manage most of it." Allison decided to leave him alone. She had her own problems at the moment that had to be addressed. She wanted to hang out with Scott, and finding her anchor was important.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

'Alone in the loft with Alex.' Isaac could of course come up with worse scenarios for the next twenty-four hours, but this was not good. Pleading and begging wouldn't do. He knew he had to deal with it one way or the other. Going to the McCall's was out of the question. Just before they left, Derek had come to his room and told him to stay put; he did not want Alex to be left alone, and Isaac couldn't really find any decent excuse for not following the Alpha's demand.

He'd heard them loud and clear when they talked about it over breakfast. Isaac had chosen to let them believe he was still sleeping, because he didn't want to meet Alex. The thoughts he'd had in his head last night as he jerked himself off was haunting him now, and he could never look at the guy the same way again.

He trembled by the mere thought of having him so close, and seeing him would probably make it even worse. He would probably have to face him sooner or later; he couldn't stay in his room forever, but he needed to get these feelings under control first.

When Derek came to his room, he'd also asked him if he was okay. They had all been a little concerned when he didn't come out for lunch either. Isaac had assured him that everything was fine, but that he had missed his bed, and wanted to sleep till he couldn't close his eyes anymore.

He didn't think they understood his real reason for shutting himself in, although he'd seen the little wink Stiles gave him over Derek's shoulder as he said goodbye. Isaac pretended not to notice, and he was happy that Stiles didn't open his big mouth to say anything.

After almost fifteen hours cooped up in there, he was both hungry and thirsty, but his main concern was that he needed to pee so bad. He could hear Alex out there, singing along to the loud music he'd put on. Isaac knew he was cleaning, and seemed to have a good time roaming around alone.

At this very moment, he was in the bathroom and Isaac could almost not stand the sound of running water, as the guy obviously was busy scrubbing the tiles in the shower. He pictured Alex leaning on the wall as water-droplets hit his hair and his skin. The shirt was probably clinging to his body from the humidity, and he would have to push the curls away from his big brown eyes. Isaac moaned quietly and rubbed a hand over his semi, but he let it be with that.

The second he heard Alex leave the bathroom and whistled his way towards the kitchen, Isaac darted out and hurried to lock himself in the bathroom. After unloading what felt like a gallon of pee, he felt much better. He took his time in there, shaving and showering, before he dared to peek out.

Alex had emptied all the cupboards in the kitchen and was standing on the counter between canned goods and cereal boxes, cleaning the top shelves. Isaac took a couple of deep breaths, before he slowly walked over there. "Morning," he mumbled as he reached for the handle on the fridge. He could feel Alex' eyes on him from above. "Morning? It's afternoon, well evening, sort of." Alex jumped down from the counter. "I worried that you had died." He put his hand on the door to the fridge, preventing Isaac from opening it. "Go sit down, I'll fix you some food. It'll only take me a minute."

It took a little more than a minute, but not much more before Isaac had a plate of food in front of him. "Just a little appetizer." Alex must have been waiting for Isaac to come out soon, because the dish was already made and he'd only had to put some final touches on it. "It's a traditional Italian antipasto. Simple, but delicious. Mozzarella and tomatoes basically."

Isaac didn't know if it was because Alex had made it, or if it was because he was seriously starved, but he could have sworn it was the best appetizer he'd ever had. Alex also provided him with a glass of wine. "So you're not old enough, but who's here to complain." Wine wasn't Isaac's preferred drink, but Alex could have served him dishwater and he would have drank it.

It took another ten minutes before the main course was brought to the table. This time, Alex made a plate for himself also. It was home-made lasagna with a side of arugula salad. They ate in silence.

Isaac was slightly disappointed that the conversation in the woods never came up. Not because he wanted it to, but he'd been cooped up in his room for hours on end, worrying about it. Now it seemed like his worries had been totally unnecessary.

It wasn't until later, after Alex decided to do the rest of the cleaning in the morning, that the situation changed. Alex was in the shower and Isaac was slouching on the couch, totally relaxed. He flipped through the channels on the TV, and even if he could hear Alex come out of the bathroom, he didn't react.

He felt a drop of water landing on his arm, and without thinking about where it came from he moved his hand to wipe it away. "How about now?" Alex was leaning over the back of the couch with his mouth inches away from Isaac's ear. Isaac got startled, and he automatically turned his head. Those lips were so close that it was impossible to focus on anything else. Isaac whimpered a little and tried to avert his gaze. "I don't..., uh." He hitched his breath. "...know." He knew, he knew perfectly well that he wanted to close the gap between them, but he was scared. When Alex' opened his mouth slightly and licked his upper lip, it was impossible to take it any longer. "Yeah, okay, yes, now is okay."


	48. Chapter 48

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For the first time in a while Stiles is back in his own bed. It's nice. Isaac gets the long overdue kiss from Alex, but after it's over he believes that Alex is only teasing him. Derek has 'forbidden' thoughts in his head as he falls asleep in Stiles' bed. By litterally taking matters into her own hands, Allison believes that she has found her anchor. It doesn't take too long before Isaac understands that Alex is not a tease after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As promised, I have another chapter ready. I don't know if I will be able to post more this week, but I'll try. I have a couple of questions for you all. Should I kill all of Hester's pack? Should I save them? Joy, Jade, Troy, Eric, Hester. Who deserves to live? I prefer to get your answers i a PM. No spoilers.

It was always nice to stay at Derek's place. Stiles almost felt that it was like home, but only almost. In his own room, he had little things that were his. He had pictures on the walls that he put up there. The familiarity of it all felt nice as he lied on the bed, staring into the ceiling. Derek's room was bare in comparison, although the big, heavy furniture filled it up and almost made it look classy.

He didn't really miss his bed; Derek's bed was extremely comfortable, but it was Derek's. Stiles knew that he could claim it, but the fact that he hadn't participated in decorating the room, made it feel like he was a visitor regardless.

"What are you thinking about?" Stiles got startled. He hadn't heard Derek come in. The door was wide open and the guy could move with stealth, so Stiles was used to his sometimes sudden appearances. "You like being back home?"

Derek smiled at him as he approached the bed. "The loft isn't really a home. It's just temporary sleeping quarters." Stiles didn't say anything at first, he just patted the bed to get Derek sit down. With their fingers laced together, lying there side by side, Stiles turned to his boyfriend and sighed. "I like it there, but you're right. It isn't home. It isn't a home."

When Derek didn't comment on it, Stiles continued. "If, I mean, when the house is done..." He looked away shyly. "we can make that a home, right?" He knew it would be Derek's house, but he wanted to put his mark on it too. Derek squeezed his hand. "If you want to live there with me, I'll let you do whatever you want to make it your home."

After a few minutes of silence, Stiles scooted closer and panted a kiss on Derek's cheek. "I, I really , really want to, but..." He rolled his eyes. "I'm not so sure he..." Stiles gestured towards the door, indicating that he was talking about his dad. "I don't know if he will approve."

Derek chuckled a little. "I understand, but even if it takes a while before you can move in, I'm going to regard it as your home too." He gave Stiles a smile. "I want to make sure that if, or when you come to live there, you will feel that it's yours."

Stiles reacted instantly. "If?" He sat up abruptly and stared down at Derek. "If I move in? Of course I want to move in." He shook his head and search for any doubts in the face in front of him. "Don't say things like that. I love you."

With a sigh, Derek pulled him in and embraced him. "Sorry, but you're so young, things can change. For me you're it, but humans don't mate for life. I mean not necessarily." With his face tucked into the crook of Derek's neck, Stiles knew what he was insinuating. "You mean, if I was a werewolf, you would trust this relationship more?"

Another little chuckle escaped Derek's throat."That's a thought! But I don't want you to think it. I'm fine, and I love my human Stiles." He stoke Stiles' back and let his lips brush his forehead. "I love you just the way you are."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Their position wasn't the best for a kiss. Isaac was half lying half sitting on the couch with Alex standing behind the backrest, hovering over him. When Alex leaned in, Isaac closed his eyes, just waiting for it. He felt the brush of lips on his and held his breath. His own lips felt dry and chapped and he wanted to lick them, but he didn't dare.

He waited for what seemed like an eternity, before he opened his eyes a crack. Alex' eyes were wide open staring straight at him from inches away. Isaac wanted that kiss so much now, and he couldn't understand what Alex was waiting for.

Alex turned his head a little and kissed the corner of Isaac's mouth. It was gentle and not particularly satisfying. "Alex, I..." He managed to hitch out, as those lips brushed over his cheek. "Shh." Alex whispered against his skin. Suddenly he had a hand under his neck, and before he knew it Alex went in for the kill. Isaac immediately caught on and when their tongues met he grabbed on to what he could reach. He was pulling on Alex' hair with one hand and on his t-shirt with the other.

Alex' thumb was flicking at Isaac's earlobe, as their mouth practically melted together in a languid kiss. When Alex eventually started to pull back, Isaac tried to follow. He didn't want to stop, but he needed to breathe, so he had to let their lips part. He was still holding on to Alex, and could feel that the guy was about to move away. He tried to grab on tighter, but the position he was in made it a little difficult.

"I'm sorry, I'm not a very skilled kisser." Alex chuckled shyly, as he started to walk away. Isaac sat up and stared at him. "Uh, I didn't notice." His eyes caught the view of Alex' ass in the tight boxers he was wearing. He had to swallow hard when his cock nodded in approval.

At the kitchen counter, Alex turned to him. "It was nice, though, wasn't it?" He picked two beers out of the fridge. He opened them and grabbed a bag of chips from the cupboard. "Is there anything on TV?"

As he came back, Isaac couldn't spot any visible indication that the kiss had aroused Alex. In the skimpy outfit it would have been impossible to hide, and Isaac got a little disappointed. The sexual attraction was probably not mutual, and Alex just did this to tease him.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Derek was leaning on the headboard of Stiles' bed with his eyes half lidded, gazing at nothing really. Stiles' was lying on his side with an arm over Derek's stomach and his head on his chest. They were supposed to get ready for bed, but none of them wanted to get up, so they lied there, fully dressed. It was late, and the sheriff had turned in more than an hour ago. Derek caressed the small of Stiles' back with lazy circular movements of his fingers.

He knew that Stiles was about to fall asleep, and he wasn't far from dozing of himself. He wondered if he should try to get them undressed and crawl under the covers, but he felt so comfortable right now.

The conversation he had with Chris earlier, had been promising. He knew that the guy had a few tricks up his sleeve, and he had mentioned working for a builder in his youth. He'd promised to help out, but Derek didn't know what skill level he was on. After assessing the blueprints, taking Derek's wishes into consideration, Chris was sure he could lead this project and build the house with only a few professionals involved.

That was good news, and it would save him a lot of money. Derek had the funds to do it, but he'd worried that he had to get a steady job to fulfill his dream. Digging into his trust fund wasn't an option. He should probably look for a job regardless. It was kind of boring not having anything to do. Another thing was that Isaac didn't bring any income, and Derek was forced to provide for him, and now they had Alex there too.

Building a house was one thing. Keeping a house was another. Derek knew that he was out on a limb, but he had to do this.

He tried to imagine how it would be if everything turned out the way he wanted. He wasn't sure if Alex would join them, but if so, they would be a pack of six in the house. He threw a peek at Stiles. 'Five werwolves and... Stiles.' He sighed to himself. He didn't lie when he told Stiles that he loved him regardless, but if... Derek forced the thought out of his head. It was a work in progress, but he didn't want to think about it too much.

He kissed the top of Stiles head, and eased himself out of bed. Stiles was fast asleep and didn't react. Derek got undressed, and pulled the blanket over his mate before he crawled under it behind Stiles' back. He looked at the bare neck in front of him. A small bite. It would be easy. Stiles would probably understand, or maybe resent him for the rest of their lives.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Allison decided to take matter into her own hands. She hadn't had a chance to talk to Derek about an anchor yet. Scrub that. She'd had plenty of chances, but she didn't really want his help. She knew perfectly well that he wouldn't hold it against her, but she wanted to perceived as strong and in control.

After that first night, when she was thinking about her mom making it possible to get a good nights sleep, she'd pulled up that memory again wondering if that could be her anchor. It had not worked out. It was only when she was in bed, sniffing the pillow that she managed to shut it all out. She wondered if a smell could be it.

In the woods, at their little party, she'd worried about wolfing out when she and Scott snuck away from the others for a moment. It didn't happen; she felt in complete control of herself. At that time she didn't even question it, she was just happy about hanging with her friends and being able to be with Scott.

Thinking back, she got a little embarrassed by herself for not adding two and two together. Before that party she'd dabbed a few drops of her mom's perfume on her wrists, and the scent had lingered in the air around her at all times. She still wasn't sure if that was it, but she wanted to try it out.

She knew that anger could possibly bring the wolf out. There was also rumors to suggest that angst and terror could do the trick. Allison thought about it and she soon found out that in her present state, none of those would work. She couldn't find anything to be angry enough about at the moment, and she felt that nothing could scare her ever again.

The only way was by sexual arousal. She knew that Scott had been about to turn on several occasions before he got control over his wolf. After several days of not getting any, Allison knew it would be easy. She decided to try to imagine Scott fucking her.

During a long and hot shower, she began touching herself. As she started to get aroused from it, she could feel the little itch in her gum from the fangs; her nails, scraping over the inside of her own thighs, got sharper and more pointy. She worried that she'd injure herself down there if she kept going, but she had to find out.

She brushed over her clitoris with her thumb. It felt different than before. Her heightened senses made it more intense. She kept at it, and was soon panting under the streaming water. She almost forgot that she was supposed to imagine that it was Scott fondling her. The second she thought about him again, her hand trembled. Her claws came out fully and dug into her skin on her thigh.

She managed to keep her mouth shut when a growl threatened to leave her throat. With her other hand, she grabbed the bottle of perfume from the soap holder where she'd placed it. After fumbling to get the cap off, she practically stuffed the neck of it into her nose and took a deep breath.

The change was instantaneous. Her claws retracted and her fangs were gone. She could still see Scott before her as she worked her clit intensely. When she felt that she was close, she inserted two fingers up her cunt and fucked herself with them, while maintaining clitoral action.

With a loud moan, she sunk down on her knees as the orgasm rolled over her.

Panting heavily, she wondered if she'd need to have this bottle with her at all times, or if it was possible to learn to control herself without it.

After getting out of the shower, she tried to force the wolf out, but it wasn't possible. Then she dabbed a little perfume on her neck and tried again. It wasn't easy. She didn't really know how to wolf out on purpose, but eventually she could see her fingernails change. It was a start. If she just worked at it, she could possibly become a werewolf whenever she wanted to, not having to wait for the full moon.

She commended herself on her progress. Scott had been a mess until he found his anchor. Allison had heard rumors about how Boyd and Isaac dealt with it, and it wasn't pleasant. Erica had also had a hard time, but after the bite, she'd been such a bitch that it was hard for anyone else to spot the difference.

Allison felt bad thinking about the dead girl like that, but it was true. She was pretty sure that if the girl had listened to Derek's advice, she could still have been alive. That was another issue. Derek wasn't really cut out to be a pack-leader. He didn't manage to control his pack. Brought up to be a leader among the hunters, Allison knew the responsibilities involved. Lately, she'd seen that Derek had grown into the role, but she wasn't quite sure if he really had it in him.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Alex had to pull back when the urge to jump over the backrest and ravage Isaac's body washed over him. He hurried to turn away and walk to the kitchen. With extreme control over his own body, he managed to will the erection away before he dared to face Isaac.

He had no idea what to do next. It was perfectly clear to him that Isaac had responded to the kiss just the way he'd wanted him to, but he didn't know if the guy was ready to take it a step further. He decided to let it rest for a bit; he wanted to talk. They hadn't really had a chance to get to know each other properly, and Alex was eager to learn more about Isaac.

"Here." He handed one of the beers to Isaac and put the other one on the table, before he went over to his stash to find a pair of pants. Stiles had given him some clothes and among there was a pair of sweatpants. Alex felt the need to cover up somewhat, just in case.

"Are you okay? You're awfully quiet over there." Alex tried to sound as causal as possible. "Tell me about yourself. How long have you been a werewolf." He slumped down on the couch, far enough away to not touch Isaac, but close enough for him to easily reach him if he wanted to.

Isaac shrugged. "A while. I, I don't remember exactly. " He huffed and picked at the label of the beer-bottle. "But, uh... Was that it? That kiss, was that all you wanted?" Alex could see the blush on Isaac's face and wondered how to respond. It was not all he wanted, but he was afraid he'd scare Isaac if he revealed his true feelings. Isaac continued. "You're just a tease, aren't you? A kiss is not necessarily just a kiss."

Alex closed his eyes and took a sip from the beer before he sighed and threw a peek at Isaac. "Maybe. Maybe I am teasing you a little, but I..." He'd felt so confident and bold when he leaned in for that kiss, and now he could barely talk without stuttering. He drew his breath as he eased his hand closer to Isaac's. "I, we, uh, we could do it again and you can try to find out. I mean, uh, uh, I'm so, uh, I have no experience in this."

When Isaac grabbed his hand and pulled a little, he went with it and scooted closer, leaning his head on Isaac's shoulder. Isaac wrapped an arm around him and laced his fingers into his hair. "You are beautiful, did you know that?" Isaac cupped his chin with his other hand and forced his head up so they could look at each other. "I have no idea what I'm doing." Isaac's face was so red that Alex had to smile a little. "Let's find out."

There was no hesitation anymore. Their lips crashed together as they clung to each other. Isaac's hands were roaming over Alex' back as he leaned against the armrest pulling him with. Alex couldn't hide the arousal he got from it, and when he felt the hardness of Isaac's dick on his hip he let out a small moan.

The couch wasn't big enough and not particularly comfortable. While holding on to each other for dear life they rolled off it and crashed into the floor. "Ouch!" Isaac let go for a second and pressed the heel of his hand to his forehead were a small cut was seeping blood. It started to heal instantly and Isaac wiped his hand on his thigh as he chuckled against Alex' mouth. "That table has sharp corners."

Alex hurried to stretch his neck and kiss the cut before it vanished. "I'll make it better, a kiss can cure anything." They both laughed at the idiocy of the statement as they looked each other in the eyes. Alex was lying on top of Isaac, pushing his pelvis down to let Isaac know what was going on inside his pants. The laughter got stuck in Isaac's throat and for a second he looked terrified. Then he grabbed onto Alex' shoulders and rolled them over so he was on top. He straddled him and sat up half way, leaning on his hands placed on each side of Alex' head.

"This is crazy. What are we doing." There was a slight tremble in Isaac's voice as he whispered it hoarsely. "We can't, uh, oh my God, I can't..." Alex had no will to stop this, and he suspected that Isaac hadn't either. He shot his hand out and grabbed around Isaac's cock through the loose fitting pajama pants. "We can do whatever we want, and we both want this. You know it."

Isaac's eyes rolled back in his head and he groaned loudly, before he let his hands move down Alex' side until he reached the hem of the T-shirt. He pushed it up slowly and Alex arched his back to help him. When he couldn't get it any further up, he let go and removed his own. As this was going on, Alex managed to get his hand inside Isaac's pants. Isaac hitched his breath as Alex grabbed onto his cock and gave it a couple of tugs. "Alex, I, I'm gonna..." He fell forward as his whole body trembled, and Alex could feel his hand getting sticky from the cum.

It took several minutes before any of them moved. Alex was pinned down and his hand was kind of stuck inside Isaac's pants. Isaac had dug his face into the crook of his neck, and he held on to his shoulders so hard that Alex could feel the claws dig into his skin. "I didn't mean to. I wanted to go slow. I wanted to..." Isaac was sobbing into Alex' ear. "I don't know... I just want you..."

Alex managed to get his hand out and wrapped both arms around Isaac's back. "It's okay, there's nothing to worry about. I'm a novice too." He lifted his head a little and kissed Isaac's shoulder. "It's a little uncomfortable under here. Can we go to bed?"


	49. Chapter 49

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hester gathers her pack and gives them a surprise. When she later calls Derek. He doesn't know if he can believe her. A booty-call from Allison makes Scott excited. Isaac wakes up with Alex, and it feels good, but he's still a little too shy to do anything. Alex is bolder and things happen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not completely satisfied with this chapter. I mean, it came out the way I wanted, but there is no traces of Sterek and a lot of attention on my OCs. (sorry) Stiles is barely mentioned, so it feels a little amputated for my taste. Some smut though that I hope you guys will appreciate. I'l try to update shortly.

Hester gathered the girls and Troy in her office. Eric was sent out shopping. She didn't trust the guy fully. He and Alex had been way to close for her to let him in on any family secrets.

"I'm going to call off the war." She leaned back in the chair and folded her hands in front of her. "I'm not going after them." Hester noticed that Joy gave out a sigh of relief. Troy just shrugged and kept picking his nails. Jade was the only one who tried to protest, but Hester lifted her hand to stop her niece from commenting.

"Why should we bother with them? Risking your guy's lives is not worth it." She cocked her head. "I'm not completely done with Beacon Hills, but we can settle our differences some other way." She stared directly at Joy. "Sorry, I'm not going to go after Stiles for you; not this way anyway."

Joy nodded and looked down. "It's okay, he could never love me. I mean..." She exhaled sharply. "He's in love with Derek, but he's just a human. I can wait until he's ready to move on." She gave Hester a lopsided smile. "I would rather wait. I could swoop in and comfort him when he realizes that he doesn't want to be stuck with Derek for the rest of his life."

Hester chuckled a little and shook her head. "You think that will happen?" She felt sorry for her daughter. Falling for a human wasn't in her plans for them. Joy didn't look up. "Humans don't mate for life, rarely. He's young. You can turn him when he's most vulnerable, and I can sweep him off his feet."

Both Troy and Jade giggled a little an looked at the girl. "Really?" Jade did not sound convinced. "I guess that's a plan, but..." She rolled her eyes and turned to Hester. "They took Alex. How can you let that go? They made a fool of you."

Hester slammed her hands onto the desk. "I decide when I've been made a fool of. Derek has powerful friends. Alex screwed up – that silly boy – and lead them here." She narrowed her eyes and focused on Troy. "I made a mistake to believe that you and Alex were capable of watching a prisoner. You should have been punished, but I guess the night in chains was a lesson. Eric poor thing. I almost killed him over this."

The three youngsters all stared at her now. Troy had even straitened himself up a bit. "I'm not completely done with Beacon Hills." She repeated before she continued. "I'm going to get Alex back, and Chris Argent will die, but Derek and his pack I'm not going to pursue... for now."

It was completely quiet in the room for several minutes. Troy went back to picking his nails, as if this didn't concern him at all. It really didn't. He was just a toy, a servant. He'd no say in what went on in the house, but she trusted him completely. He was a dimwit and couldn't possibly manage on his own, and he seemed content with his life in the mansion.

Jade looked angry, but she didn't say anything. Joy was the first one to speak after the long silence. "Will you kill him? Alex?" She didn't look up as she spoke, and she seemed a little sad. Hester shrugged. "I don't know yet. Eric is a decent cook, but Alex is way better. I might keep him alive, but he will never leave this house again."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

The first thought in Isaac's head when he woke up that morning was that he'd cummed into his pants last night, and not thinking about the consequences, he'd gone to bed without cleaning up. The next thought that entered his mind was the knowledge that Alex was sleeping next to him. He could hear the guy breathing.

After the little incident on the floor, they had entered Isaac's room and gone to bed. Isaac had been scared out of his mind thinking about what could happen in there, but he couldn't bare the thought of having Alex sleep on the mattress in the living room.

Turned out Alex was just as intimidated about the situation as Isaac was. "I, we... that was nice." Alex had practically stuttered as he entered the room. "I've never been in here before." He'd walked over to the bed and sat down. "We're going to sleep now, right?"

When Isaac nodded, Alex had crawled under the blanket without a word. Isaac followed, and had lied down on his side with his back turned to the guy. He was unable to face him at the moment, but he fumbled behind his back and found Alex' hand. He squeezed it gently. "Sleep tight. It's all good, right?" It took a few moments before he got a reply. "Right. Good. Everything is good."

Isaac had been 'sleeping in' big time that day, but it still didn't take so long before he started to doze off. Holding Alex' hand felt nice, and he was completely relaxed.

Now, he drew his breath heavily a couple of times before he dared to turn around. The moment he saw Alex' face he thought about scooting closer and wrap his arms around him, but just staring at that beautiful creature in front of him was sufficient at the moment.

He'd never had proper sex before. There had been chances, but something had gotten in the way every time. Isaac knew perfectly well that he wanted to fuck Alex, but he had no idea on how to proceed to make that happen.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Scott had to go to work early. Dr Deaton was going away for the day, and Scott had to man the clinic on his own. He couldn't really treat any of their patients, but the doctor had told him to call if there was a serious case. He wasn't that far away – he was at a farm a couple of hours north – checking their livestock. It wasn't what he usually did, but their regular vet was on vacation.

After cleaning the cages, Scott fed all the animals. He took the two dogs that were well enough out for a walk around the building before he spent some time on the phone. The pet owners were eager to know how their loved ones were doing, and was happy about getting a progress report.

The only new arrival was a cat with a few cuts and scrapes from a fight. Cats tended to be a little intimidated by him, but this one was clearly in pain, and even if it hissed at him, the animal didn't try to attack him. Scott used his werewolf abilities to take its pain away before he cleaned the wounds and assessed them. It didn't look too bad, but he called Deaton to make sure he was treating it correctly. The doctor told him to make sure the animal was comfortable, and as long as he wasn't bleeding anymore, he'd deal with it later in the afternoon.

At two o'clock, he was seriously bored and decided to call Allison. He'd missed her, but he knew what she was going through, and didn't want to nag her. She sounded pleased about the call and asked when he was off. "I'm in control... I think. Could we get together tonight?"

The tone of her voice was insinuating to say the least, so he instantly felt a little better. "Control? You're sure?" He was not convinced, but he knew that he was stronger than her so if she wolfed out, he'd be able to restrain her. He didn't want to have to do that, but jerking off alone didn't suffice, so he was eager to believe her. "How? I mean... It took me, uh, a long time..."

Allison broke him off. "Can a scent be an anchor?" She huffed a little. "I think it could. What do you know about it?" Scott had no idea, but it wasn't too far fetched. According to Derek, anything could be an anchor. "I guess it could. How does it work?"

After explaining what happened the first night after her turning, she proceeded to tell him what happened when they were in the woods. "I really, really wanted you, and when we were dancing I was afraid I'd lose it, but... I think it was the scent of her perfume that kept me, uh, grounded?"

Scott wasn't completely comfortable with the thought that Allison would have to think about her mother if they had sex, so even if he was happy about finding something that gave her control, he kind of hoped it wouldn't be it. "So what you're saying is that we'll have your mom with us in bed?"

Allison chuckled a little. "No, I mean, yeah, uh, no." She was quiet for a moment. "I don't know how it works; I first thought it was the memory of her that did it, but in the woods I didn't even think about her. I didn't even think about the scent either. I wondered how I could be so in control, and it wasn't until later I realized that I was wearing that perfume."

Not completely convinced, Scott decided to let it go. He missed Allison so much. He missed touching her skin; he missed cuddling up with her whether it lead to sex or not. He wanted to hold her in his arms and... Yeah, okay. He wanted to fuck her, but that was just a bonus.

They decided to meet as soon as Dr Deaton was back. "I have to pick up my mom, but you can come over. She has no werewolf senses, and we can be quiet." Scott heard a scoff coming from Allison. "So that's it then. All you can think of is sex? You boys are so..." Scott was about to apologize when Allison continued. "It's okay. I miss it too. I miss your, uh, co..." She stopped abruptly, and Scott knew she was blushing. He could feel his own cheeks heat up too. "My 'co' will be ready."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

After helping Stiles to get to the bathroom, Derek went downstairs. The sheriff was already up, and had made some coffee. "I'm not going to cook breakfast; I don't even know if there are any food here." She shrugged and looked into the fridge. He scrunched his face as he assessed the contents. "Something it rotting in there."

Derek helped him remove everything that had gone bad, and volunteered to go to the store to get fresh food. After making a list, he gave the sheriff a warning. "Lock the doors and have a weapon ready. Aim for the head."

On the way to the store, he had to pull over when his phone rang. It took him a few seconds to pull it out, and the surprise he got when he saw the caller id made him hesitate before he finally pressed the answer button.

"Hester? What a surprise. What on earth made me earn the pleasure of hearing your voice again?" Derek didn't feel half as confident as he wanted to sound. He could hear a snort before Hester replied. "I've missed you, dear. When are you coming to visit? The cage seems so empty without you."

Derek rolled his eyes while trying to understand the real reason for her call. "Oh, thanks, but I kind of like my own sleeping quarters better." He took a deep breath. "Why are you calling? I'm sure it isn't because you want to invite me over. Cut the crap."

He heard Hester chuckle at the other end. "You're right. I'm not, although I'm sure I could show you a good time. Better than last." She chuckled again, before she sighed heavily. "I'm calling to propose a truce."

If the sky had turned green and it had started to rain meatballs, Derek wouldn't have been more surprised. Hester suggesting a ceasefire was so out of character for her. "You're serious? You're willing to back out?"

It took a few moments before she replied. "It will not be without cost, but yeah. You heard me loud and clear." She paused for a second. "I like my lazy, comfortable life. Being at war doesn't suit me. I also want to keep my girls safe."

Derek thought about it for a moment. He wasn't sure if he could believe her. "You mentioned a cost. What's your terms?" He could hear her taking a couple of breaths. "Give me Alex back, and I'll never set foot in Beacon Hills again."

Sending Alex back to her would be the same as sending him to the gallows, and Derek did not feel comfortable doing that. "I can't speak for him, but I'm not sure he wants to. He knows you'll kill him." Hester sighed heavily. "If I promise to let him live... I will have to punish him, but he's a sweet boy. I'll treat him fairly."

When it took a while for Derek to respond, Hester continued. "I'll give you a week to think about it. Nice talking to you again." She hung up abruptly, leaving Derek completely confused and conflicted. He was not the boss of Alex, and couldn't possibly force him to do this. He wondered if he should even mention it to anybody, or just flat out turn her down. The fact that she made this call told him that Hester worried that they'd be too strong for her.

She probably knew that Allison had survived the full moon, and that Alex had gotten quite comfortable in this pack. For Hester, it meant that they outnumbered her. With a skilled hunter and a police officer on their team, she obviously worried that an attack could be to her disadvantage.

Derek pulled out in the street again and headed for the store. Unless this was a con, he'd have a week to think about this. If Hester kept her word, all his friends would be safe during this week. He decided to leave it for now, and then gather the pack to discuss this at a later time.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Isaac knew had to get the soiled pajama-pants off and he wanted to take a shower. Getting out of bed, leaving Alex alone, worried him a little though. He was afraid that if he walked away, it would be awkward and weird when he came back.

Struggling with this, he noticed that Alex was smiling at him. The guy still had his eyes closed, but he was clearly awake. "You okay?" He whispered. Isaac drew his breath before he replied. "Sure, I'm fine. You?" He watched as Alex opened his eyes slightly. "Perfect." He reached his hand out to touch Isaac's shoulder. It felt like a jolt of electricity hit, and his whole body tingled.

When Alex scooted a little closer, Isaac got a shiver down his spine. He wanted to get Alex as close as possible, but at the same time, he was scared out of his wits. "I need to, uh, clean up, I mean..." He chuckled a little nervously as he moved his hand to his shoulder and let his fingers caress Alex'.

It took a few minutes before any of them moved or said anything. "It's okay, you know." Alex was the first one to break the silence. "Take a shower or whatever. I'll be here when you come back." He hesitated for a moment. "Unless you want me to start breakfast, or..." Isaac grabbed Alex' hand and squeezed it lightly. "No, stay. Sleep some more. I, uh, want you to stay."

Isaac rolled out of bed while still holding on to Alex' hand. He gave it another little squeeze before he let go and exited the room.

While he was waiting for the water to reach an acceptable temperature, Isaac undressed threw the dirty clothes in the hamper. Waking up with a hard-on wasn't unusual, but it was a little more difficult to will it away knowing that this beautiful person was in the next room. He decided not to even bother about it, and tried to picture Alex' hands on his cock as he let the hot water caress his back.

He let out a small moan that got stuck in his throat when the door suddenly opened. "Sorry. Have to take a leak. Do you mind?" Alex sounded chipper and he didn't wait for an answer. Isaac could hear him walk over to the toilet, and had to fight the urge to peek out from behind the shower curtain.

After Alex had flushed, Isaac expected him to leave, and he waited for the sound of the door. When it didn't come, he held his breath for a moment wondering what the guy was doing. Slowly the curtain was pushed aside. "May I?" Alex didn't wait for an answer this time either, he just stepped inside and looked up at Isaac.

The height difference between them became very prominent, and Isaac felt he was towering over the guy. It didn't take away the feeling of inferiority though. Alex seemed to be in full control of the situation, while Isaac struggled to not go into shock.

Alex planted a soft kiss on his collarbone before he let his lips drift over Isaac's chest. "Is this okay?" He mumbled against the skin, as his mouth slowly moved lower. Isaac could only nod, knowing perfectly well that Alex couldn't see it, but he wasn't sure if his voice would work. It didn't seem to bother Alex that he didn't get an answer, because he didn't pause for a second.

When Alex sank to his knees, Isaac hitched his breath. He wasn't born yesterday, so he was pretty sure that he knew what Alex was aiming for. When Alex' fingers wrapped around the shaft of his cock, Isaac grabbed onto Alex' hair. He was a little afraid that he'd rip out chunks of it, so he tried to restrain himself.

With nothing to compare with, Isaac didn't really know what to expect, but when the moment Alex' tongue touched the head of his penis, he didn't manage to think so much.

He'd thought he knew what a blow-job involved; he'd thought it was just that, but what Alex was doing down there turned the whole thing into an art-form. The way he used his tongue was just amazing. His hands were caressing Isaac's balls as he opened his mouth and wrapped his lips around the head sucking gently. Ever so often, he let go and ran his lips down the shaft to lap at the ball's with his tongue before he concentrated on the head again.

Isaac was panting heavily. He didn't want this to end, and he fought against the lingering orgasm. One of Alex' hands trailed off towards the asshole, adding another new sensation to the mix. A finger was teasing around the muscle, and to Isaac's surprise, it wasn't anything he'd want more right now than to feel it inside him. He leaned forward a bit to give the guy better access, hoping he'd take the hint.

Whenever Isaac felt that he was on the edge, Alex pulled back as if he knew, making Isaac believe that he too wanted to make it last. After what seemed like an eternity of pleasure, Isaac was trembling. With joint efforts they had managed to keep the orgasm at bay, but when Alex again wrapped his lips around his cock, pushing forward until he practically had the whole thing in his mouth, Isaac knew it was futile to fight it any longer.

With increased speed Alex moved his head back and forth. Isaac looked down and saw his own penis go in and out between those adorable lips. He couldn't stop himself and without hesitation he started to fuck Alex' mouth as he at the same time held tightly on to his hair. He experienced a flash of surprise about the fact that Alex didn't choke; Isaac was pretty sure he hit the back of the guy's throat with every thrust.

Just as he felt that he was about to cum, Alex' forced a finger inside Isaac's asshole. That was it. Isaac tried to pull his dick out, but Alex held on for dear life forcing Isaac to release his load into the guy's mouth.

On shaking legs Isaac slowly sunk down on his knees and stared into Alex' eyes. The guy swallowed, before he licked his lips and swallowed again. A smile was tugging his lips as he looked down a little shyly. "It was okay that I came in the shower with you, right?" He batted his lashed and threw a quick peek at Isaac. "I mean, you never answered." Isaac wrapped his arms around Alex and pulled him in. "Oh, my God. I'm glad I never answered. I could have easily said 'no' just out of fear."

The water was getting cold and he knew they should get out of there. He turned around to stop the flow of water before he grabbed Alex' hands. "Come on, lets dry off."


	50. Chapter 50

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Derek can't keep Hester's call a secret. The sheriff's reaction is a bit different from what Derek had anticipated. Allison is preparing to meet Scott, but their plan falls apart. We learn a little more about Hester's pack. Isaac/Alex smut. Stiles and Derek are back at the loft. Stiles is curious, but his curiosity has an unexpected outcome.

When Derek came back to the Stilinski-house, he'd decided to tell them about the call from Hester. He didn't feel comfortable keeping it to himself, because he didn't really want to make this decision on his own. He knew he was perceived as a kind of leader of this pack, but it didn't sit well with him.

After putting away the groceries, he picked up the bag from the drive-through and placed it on the table. "I thought we could go for a take-away breakfast today." Both Stiles and his dad were fine with it, and when they all had served themselves, Derek sighed and cleared his throat. "Hester called." He could see that he'd got their attention and continued. "She wants Alex back and then she'll leave us alone."

The two Stilinskis stared at him, but they still didn't say anything. "She promised not to kill him. I think she means it." He looked down on his food waiting for the others to comment. Stiles got up from his seat and stared at him. "What?"

Derek wasn't surprised by Stiles' reaction. Sacrificing Alex, or any other member of their little group, wasn't an option for him. "Are you actually considering it? I thought I knew you. Derek... I'm, I'm disappointed in you." Stiles' voice sounded like he was about to cry.

Derek hurried to wrap his arms around his mate. "No, Stiles. No." Stiles was squirming, but Derek didn't let go. The sheriff stared at them, but didn't interfere. "No, I could never 'give' her Alex. He's his own person. I don't own him." He noticed that Stiles calmed down a bit, so he let up a little. "I may have worded it wrongly."

Mr Stilinski cocked his head. "Hmm." The short utterance made both Derek and Stiles turn to him. He placed his hands on the table and pushed himself up from the chair. "We, uh, you don't have to give her anything. She knows she can't beat us, uh, you." The sheriff straightened himself up. "I've interviewed so many prisoners that I know."

Derek was still holding on to Stiles, but could feel that he relaxed in his grip. The sheriff continued. "When they know they are defeated they will bargain. Tit for tat. She doesn't want to lose face." He drew his breath and threw his hands out. "We have the upper hand here. We, uh, you don't have to give her...shit."

He seemed a little conflicted, but then he shrugged and looked at them again. "When we promise a perp better terms for sharing information, we have to stick with it. Everything is taped and the defense-lawyer will demand it." The sheriff seemed a little embarrassed, and Derek wondered where this was going. "This is different. You can promise her anything, but you don't have to go through with it."

Derek let go of Stiles completely and walked over to the sheriff. "You mean we should con her? What you're saying is..." Mr Stilinski cut him off. "I'm not saying anything. I don't want to be involved. I can't be involved, but where there's a will there's a way."

With a sigh the sheriff slumped down on his seat again. "I can't be involved." He grabbed a tater tot and stuffed it in his mouth. He chewed and swallowed before he looked up at Derek again. "Alex is a sweet boy, and he's attached to your pack. I think he's smarter that he wants you to believe. Trust him! I will say no more."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Allison prepared herself for meeting Scott. She went though all the clothes in her closet before she decided on an appropriate outfit. She was pretty sure he wouldn't care what she wore. She knew he would want to tear it off her the minute they saw each other again, but it didn't matter.

She was about ready to go when her dad knocked on the door. Allison wasn't quite sure if he'd approve of her leaving the house, but she was not going to let him stop her. She told him to come inside as she applied some eye-shadow. Regardless of what would happen, she wanted to look her best.

Chris opened the door and Allison could feel his eyes on her. "What do you want? I'm going out for a bit." She looked at herself in the mirror. Satisfied with her own appearance, she got up and stared at her dad. He hadn't said a word yet and she wondered why.

After a few seconds of what seemed like a staring contest, her dad eventually averted his gaze. "Derek called. We're going to his place." Chris threw his hands out. "I know you've made other plans, but this is not a request." He started to move away from the door. "Whenever you're ready. Scott will be there too." Her dad hadn't even finished the sentence before her phone rang.

"Sorry, but we have to meet up at Derek's. I'm so, so sorry." Scott sounded sad, and Allison threw a glance at her dad before she replied. "I understand. I'll see you there." She hung up and turned to Chris. "What's going on?" Her dad shook his head. "I don't know, but according to Derek, Hester offered a truce."

-o-o-o-o-o-

Eric emptied the bags he'd brought into the kitchen, and started to put the groceries away. It wasn't much, and no real necessities. He'd been sent to the store for no reason at all. Well, there was a reason, but it had nothing to do with getting supplies.

They were going to talk about the pack up in Beacon Hills, and they didn't want him to eavesdrop. Eric was a little pissed about it. After five years living with them, he would have thought that she'd trust him.

He remembered when he first set foot in this house. He was recently turned and still struggling with the aftermath when Hester and her twins came to visit. The girls were not even teenagers yet, but he knew they would grow up to be gorgeous. His Alpha was a elderly gentleman with good heart. Eric had been found in a ditch after a hit and run, and the Alpha and his pack had taken care of him. He got the bite in order to save his life.

He'd been extremely intrigued when Hester made a move on him. He was only seventeen and couldn't resist it when she lured him into her bed that night. After making a deal with the old man, Hester had brought him to the mansion.

The abuse hadn't started immediately, but Eric soon discovered that she liked being rough with him. Over time it escalated, and even if he could heal, it was sometimes impossible for him to perform after hours of abuse.

Three years later he was so used to this life, that the thoughts of leaving had withered away. He had nowhere to go, and this was the closest he'd had to a family in years. When his single dad one day got up and shot himself, Eric ended up in an orphanage. He'd been on his way from school when he got hit by that car.

When Hester brought Troy to the mansion, Eric thought he was off the hook. Hester had found herself a new toy. The tall, blonde, extremely fit guy was going to learn how to crawl for her. It didn't happen. Troy was never abused in any way. A slap now and then or a night in the cage, was pretty much all the abuse he had to take.

Eric resented him from the moment he walked through the doors, and it hadn't gotten better over time. Troy was a blonde in every sense of the word. Eric believed that his IQ wasn't much higher than Forrest Gump's. It didn't take away the fact that he was extraordinarily handsome and good looking. He'd been a gymnast before he came there, but trying to better his scores, the guy had cheated. As the dimwit he was, he'd not been careful enough and he got caught with his body and his pockets full of performance-enhancing drugs.

He was kicked off the team instantly, and with no other real skills, he'd decided to kill himself. It was almost funny how he didn't manage that either. After trying to hang himself from a pipe in his room, the rope snapped and all he achieved was a broken wrist. In great pain and with determination, he'd walked outside to throw himself in front of a car.

As it happened, the driver of that car was Hester. She'd seen him come out, and she'd decreased the speed when she realized what he was up to. Her reflexes were significantly quicker than in a human, but she didn't even need them. Her car had come to a halt before Troy landed in front of it.

Eric hadn't had sex with Hester after that, and he missed it. Even from far away, she had her claws in him. He'd thought he'd never get over her. Technically he hadn't, but when Jade started to come to his bed, it made it easier.

When Alex entered the scene, Eric thought that he'd take over for Troy as Hester's bed warmer. He secretly wanted that fate for Troy, but it didn't go like that. From day one, Alex got subject to the same abuse Eric had experienced for years already. After his first night in the house, Hester had sent Eric downstairs to clean up the mess with the words: "Teach him everything you know. He's your responsibility now. He's gay I believe. You can fuck him if you want."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

They didn't dry off so much. As soon as they exited the shower they let their lips meet and kissed each other hungrily, as if they had been apart for ages. Grabbing a towel each they started to wipe some of the water away as they moved towards the door with their lips still locked together.

The walk to Isaac's room was a little clumsy and resulted in a few giggles, but they managed to get there without any major accidents. The towels were soon abandoned as they fell onto the bed and rolled around on it. Their legs were tangled together and they clung to each other as if someone had poured glue between them.

Alex wanted this more than he'd ever wanted anything in his life, but at the same time he was a little scared about his own emotions. He knew he was losing control over himself and it conflicted him greatly. He'd thought that he could give Isaac the little treat in the shower without any risk. He'd done it so many times when he lived on the streets, and he'd always managed to detach himself from the actual act.

Not so this time around. For the first time in his life he'd actually enjoyed giving head. The connection he and Isaac had; the fact that he liked him – maybe even loved him – a lot, made this more an act of devotion and commitment, rather than a necessary mean to stay alive.

While holding on to each other, letting their lips brush over each others skin wherever they could reach, Alex knew that he was losing it. He knew he wanted to fuck this guy, or be fucked by him, whatever came first. Knowing that Isaac wasn't completely comfortable with the gay thing yet, Alex guessed that the latter would be more plausible. He couldn't care less.

Isaac's cock was was pressing against his thigh, and after struggling hard to keep his own erection at bay, Alex made a decision. If Isaac chose to walk away after this, Alex would still have the memory to indulge himself in. If he had to live the rest of his life pining for Isaac's touch, it would still be worth it.

Lying on his back, Alex spread his legs suggestively, hoping that Isaac got the point. He could see Isaac's eyes widen for a second, and Alex gave him a small nod to emphasize his intentions.

Being totally new to this Isaac now showed an amazing boldness. He eased his hand between them and grabbed onto Alex' now fully erect cock, tugging on it gently. "You sure?" He practically huffed the words out and again Alex nodded. He couldn't think of anything he wanted more at the moment than to feel Isaac inside him.

It surprised him when Isaac rolled off him and got out of bed, but after sifting through a bag of toiletries he dived back in with a small jar of some lotion in his hand. "I've heard it's essential for a good experience." He blushed a little, but there was no trace of uncertainty in his face.

He opened the jar and dipped his fingers into it. Then he leaned over to put the jar on the nightstand. Hovering over Alex he moved in and planted a gentle kiss on his cheek. "Maybe you should turn over, I think... uh, you know." Alex didn't even have to hear the full sentence before he was on his hands and knees. This was going to happen. Isaac was going to fuck him and he was considerate enough to use lube.

He could hear Isaac take a deep breath before he felt a finger circle around his asshole. He sunk his head down on the pillow waiting for the finger to enter. It took a little while before Isaac gently inserted it. There was no pain involved, just a small pressure on the muscle. After pulling the finger in and out a couple of times, Isaac added another. Alex felt a little pinch of pain, but it was really not worth mentioning. He had a high tolerance for pain after living with Hester, so this was nothing.

Isaac leaned over and kissed Alex' shoulder. "I want to... oh, God. I want..." Isaac hitched his breath. His fingers was bending and twisting inside Alex' ass. "I want this so much, but I don't want to hurt you."

Alex panted against the pillow. "You can't...hurt me. Please just... Fuck me already." He'd never felt anything like this. In the cold nights out on the streets, he'd huddled together with boys. Sometimes the intimacy had resulted in an orgasm from rubbing together. That was just a release, this was making love.

If he didn't know that Isaac was a virgin, Alex wouldn't have believed it. After pulling his fingers out, he coated his dick with lotion. He lined himself up behind Alex' ass and pushed forward. When his cock slipped a little, he used his hand to guide it before he tried again. This time, Alex could feel the head of Isaac's cock enter his asshole. The pain was completely bearable, and he was ready for more.

Slowly but surely, Isaac eased his cock inside inch by inch. The sensation was incredible, and surprisingly painless. Alex had braced himself for it, but with Isaac's gentleness it wasn't even an issue. Sure he could feel it, but it drowned completely in the pleasure of being filled up.

When their thighs were flush together and Isaac had his cock buried to the hilt inside Alex' ass, he paused and ran his hands up Alex's back. "This is not going to last long. If I move I'll cum for sure." Isaac's voice was trembling as his hands kept caressing Alex' skin.

Alex felt the same way and was fighting against his own orgasm. "Don't worry...about it." He huffed, and clenched his hands around the pillow. "This is...our...debut...We can do it...again...and again."

They both lasted for a few thrusts, before they just caved in and cummed almost simultaneously. Alex' knees gave in under him as the orgasm hit and caused Isaac's cock to slip out of him. It didn't matter. Nothing mattered. Nothing except the two of them sharing this mattered. Alex knew he was done for. He was mated. He could never ever let Isaac go. He felt tears in his eyes, and couldn't care less. He'd never felt this happy before.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Derek and Stiles entered the loft early in the afternoon. It looked clean and tidy, except for a couple of beer bottles on the table. Isaac and Alex were nowhere to be seen and Derek wondered if they had left against his wishes. After the little chat with Hester, he was pretty sure it would be safe for them outside, but they couldn't possibly know that.

Stiles limped over to the couch and sat down. "When are the others coming?" He looked around. "And where's Alex and Isaac?" Derek didn't have an exact answer to any of those questions. "I told them, anytime after five, so I guess..." He shrugged. "Isaac and Alex? I have no..." He stopped short when he heard a creak from the bed in Isaac's room. He cocked his head to listen as he nodded towards the door. "At least one of them is in there."

Stiles looked at him puzzled. "Can you smell them?" Derek shook his head. He hadn't even thought about that, so he drew his breath through his nose sniffing into the air. With a chuckle he shook his head. "I think they're both in there, and I think they finally got together."

He shook his head again and smiled at Stiles. "If you didn't notice, they have been eying each other ever since Alex came here." Stiles threw his head back and laughed out loud. "Notice? I thought you didn't notice. I was waiting for them to hook up, although I wasn't sure about Isaac." Tears were running down his cheeks from laughing. He wiped his eyes as he struggled to get to his feet. "I have to tease them, let's tease them." As soon as he got up he grabbed onto Derek's shoulder and leaned on it as they moved towards the door to Isaac's room. Derek wasn't quite sure about this, but he was curious too.

After a quick knock Stiles flung the door open. "Hi, guys. Wakey-wakey, rise and shine." The reaction from the two boys were not as expected. They were clearly awake already, and Isaac was sitting up leaning on the headboard with Alex' head on his chest. "That's just rude." He uttered lazily. "We could have been busy."

He ran his hand up Alex back and ruffled his hair. "You were right, Stiles couldn't manage to keep his nose out of this." He shook his head as Alex gave him a kiss on the chest. "Told you so. The moment they walked into the loft, I knew he'd come here poking into things he had no business poking into."

Derek saw how Stiles' jaw dropped and he couldn't help chuckling. Stiles looked like a fish out of water when he tried to speak without getting a word out. "Sorry guys." Derek took a step back and tried to pull Stiles with him.

Stiles looked at him before he again turned his gaze to the bed. "What happened?" He finally managed to speak again. Isaac stared at him for a moment before he started to ease himself out of bed. Alex lifted his head from his chest and rolled over to his back. Sitting on the edge of the bed, buck naked, Isaac looked at Stiles again. "Do you want a full recap of this mornings events, or is is enough to say that we fucked?"

This time Stiles looked like he'd got punched in the face. "Uh, that's, uh, more than sufficient for me, sorry." He grabbed Derek's arm and scooted backwards. "I'm so sorry." Isaac got up from the bed and walked towards the door. "Don't worry about it, it was probably easier this way." He threw a peek over his shoulder and smiled at Alex. "We were talking about how to break the news, but now we don't have to worry about that anymore."

He put his hand on the doorknob. "But if you could excuse us for a moment, we have to... uh, get dressed." With a lopsided smile he stepped to the side and slammed the door shut.

Derek laughed out loud all the way to the couch. The expression on Stiles' face was priceless as he slumped down. "How can that be?" He frowned at Derek as he drew his breath. "I mean... I struggled long and hard. We tried to keep our relationship a secret for the longest time, causing all sorts of problems." He threw a glance at the door to Isaac's room. "How can they just hook up and dive out of the closet?"

Derek was still chuckling. "You're jealous?" He patted Stiles' knee. "Why can't you be happy for them?" Stiles looked up abruptly. "I am, I'm extremely happy for them. I've seen them beat around the bush, and I wanted them to hook up. It's just..." He exhaled audibly. "I thought I could tease and torment Isaac for a little while at least. He knew about us before anyone, I wanted..." He shook his head and chuckled to himself. "I had it coming. Curiosity killed the cat."


	51. Chapter 51

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When everybody are gathered at the loft, they talk a little about the rebuild of the Hale-house. Isaac and Alex make sure to let everybody know about their relationship. A plan is Starting to come together, but there are a few disagreements. In Hester's house, Joy doesn't want a fight, but her opinion is disregarded. Alex share a few thoughts about Hester's pack.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not completely satisfied with this chapter, but it had to be written. No real progress, but necessary information. Please hang in there. More action is coming up in later chapters.

Scott picked up his mom from the hospital. He didn't know if she was invited to the meeting also, but he decided to tell her about it regardless. He wasn't sure if taking her home to be by herself was an option either. She didn't react the way Scott had anticipated. He'd been so sure she would want to stay out of all of this. "Really? A truce? I've never met her, but... Maybe I got it all wrong."

She'd been adamant about coming with him. "So maybe I'll be safe at home for now, but I really, really want to know what's going on." She'd even giggled a little. "It'll be nice to meet the others also."

After taking a detour to their house, so Melissa could change out of her scrubs, they headed for the loft. They didn't know if they were going to be served any food, so they picked up some takeaway from the Chinese place on their way to be on the safe side.

They were the first ones to come and after being greeted at the door by Derek, they both walked over to the couch. Stiles was sitting in the recliner and Alex seemed to be busy in the kitchen. Isaac was pacing around as usual, but he didn't seem as lost and confused as he'd done lately. Scott noticed, but didn't really think about it.

After he and his mom were seated, Scott started to pick the little food boxes out of the bag they'd brought. "We have to eat, you guys mind?" Scott threw a glance around him before he picked up a couple of chopsticks and started to dig in.

"Aw! I was going to cook, but I guess..." Alex shrugged and pouted a little, before he smiled widely. "It's okay. More for us." Scott was too hungry to feel bad about it, and Derek hadn't really invited them for supper anyway. He was still about to apologize, but as he swallowed and looked up at Alex, he almost choked on the noodles.

Isaac had stopped pacing and was now standing right behind Alex. With his hand, he pushed the guy's hair away and kissed his neck, before he wrapped both arms around Alex' waist. Alex didn't stop what he was doing, but he leaned back into Isaac's embrace and hummed quietly. Scott hurried to turn back to his food, before he threw a quick peek over his shoulder to make sure his eyes hadn't played tricks on him.

Alex was giggling as Isaac kept kissing his neck. They didn't seem to be bothered about the fact that everybody could see them. Scott got a little startled when Stiles cleared his throat. "Yeah, get used to it. They can't keep their hands off each other." He rolled his eyes. "They..." He lowered his voice and leaned forward a bit. "They, uh, are... they kind of hooked up."

A knock on the door ended the short conversation, and everybody watched as Allison and her dad came inside. Chris walked straight over to the table and dumped a pile of papers on it. "I brought everything. You can order the materials anytime, we can start building as soon as we have them."

-o-o-o-o-o-

They were gathered around the table, talking about the house. Chris pointed and explained the plans he'd made. For the most part he and Derek did the talking, but ever so often Stiles and Allison threw in a comment. Scott and his mom didn't participate so much; they were still eating and had to pile the little boxes in their laps, when Chris used the whole table to spread his papers on.

Alex eased himself out of Isaac's grip and grabbed a tray, before he walked over and handed it to Melissa. "It'll be easier. Put the food on this." She smiled and put the tray on her lap. "Thanks." She whispered as she nudged her son. They put the food on the tray, and scooted closer together so they could share it.

When Alex came back to the counter, Isaac leaned down and kissed him. "You're so nice, and practical." Alex cocked his head and looked up. "I am. I agree." They kissed again – more passionate now – as their hands roamed over each others backs. When the intimacy started to affect his cock, Isaac had to pull away. He giggled into Alex' mouth. "I think maybe we should wait for..." He whimpered a little when Alex' hand cupped his crotch and squeezed gently. "I think so too." He let go as he licked his lips suggestively. "Tonight, right?"

Isaac was breathing heavily and had to turn away for a moment. He could hardly wait for tonight. Thinking about this mornings – and last nights – events, Isaac couldn't understand why he'd been so scared about this. When they lied there panting after their first fuck, he'd been so content. Nothing was scary anymore.

Afterward, they had cuddled up, caressing each other. When Isaac briefly mentioned the teasing they would be subject to from the others – and especially Stiles – Alex suggested that they'd just get it over with. "No reason to hide this. We want to be together, right?" Isaac had given it a thought and was surprised by himself when he found out that he agreed completely.

He'd been slightly intimidated when he realized that they would be outed sooner rather than later. They'd heard Stiles and Derek come in, and they'd heard every word they said before Stiles opened the door.

It was tough trying to act so confident and shameless, but it had worked out swimmingly. Stiles was the one who got the most embarrassed. As soon as Isaac had slammed the door shut, he and Alex had stared at each other as they both were fighting not to laugh hysterically. Isaac had felt the burn on his cheeks and he could see that Alex' face also had an adorable red hue.

That was about it. When they eventually came out from the bedroom, they had composed themselves. With their new-found confidence, they'd done their best to tease Stiles even more. They'd touched each other every chance they got, throwing in a kiss or two in between. Their conversations were littered with sexual innuendos, making Stiles squirm in his seat.

Derek could barely stop laughing, causing Stiles to get more and more annoyed. They'd let up a bit when they heard someone at the front door. Isaac didn't want Stiles to have the pleasure of telling the rest of their friends, so when he was sure Scott was watching, he'd planted a kiss on Alex' neck.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"Weren't we gonna talk about Hester?" Allison turned to Derek. She had been standing behind the couch watching everybody listen to her dad. "I thought that was the reason we came." Derek sighed and looked at her. "Yeah, I guess." He turned to Chris again. "We can do this later."

Reluctantly, Chris gathered the papers together and piled them up on the corner of the table. "Yeah, sorry, I was just..." He smiled and shook his head. "I really want to know what she said." Derek wanted everybody to pay attention, so he walked over to the kitchen and had to physically pull Isaac and Alex apart. Allison had obviously not noticed that the two boys had been tangled together since she came inside. "Oh, wow. You..." She chuckled a little. "About time."

They both grabbed a chair each and came over to the table. Derek had to smile when he watched Alex. He'd suspected that the guy was gay ever since he came there. It was partially because he'd seen the way he'd looked at Isaac, but also little things that were hard to pinpoint. It had still been just a hunch. The way Alex was moving now, the way he held his hands, pretty much everything he did was a giveaway. It was like he'd come out of a shell and finally dared to be himself.

Derek wasn't bothered, but he had to smile a little. If Alex had acted like that from the beginning, it would probably have scared Isaac even more. Now Isaac looked at him all doe-eyed and with a hint of pride.

When everybody was gathered, Derek started to tell them about the phone call. "As I said, she offered a truce, but we're not getting it for free." He panned the crowd, letting his eyes linger a little longer on Alex. "She wants Alex back, and then she'll leave the rest of us alone." He heard a small huff from Alex, but nobody said anything. "She told me to think about it for a week, but I'm done thinking." He drew his breath heavily. "We want to live in peace here, right?"

Derek had barely finished the sentence when Isaac got up abruptly. "Are you fucking kidding me? You aren't seriously thinking about..." He threw a glance at Alex. "She'll kill him, I can't believe..." Derek cut him off. "Shut up! No. I, we, can not 'give' her Alex. Alex is free to make his own choices."

It was quiet for a couple of seconds before everybody started talking. Alex was the only one who didn't say anything. It was impossible to make any sense of it when all them were more or less shouting to be heard. Derek slammed his hand on the table. "SHUT UP!" It got instantly quiet again. After a few seconds Allison took a deep breath. "Even if we gave up Alex, we could still not be sure." She was practically whispering as she stared directly at Derek. "We have to kill her. It's the only way we can truly live in peace."

Derek nodded in agreement. "Exactly!" He rubbed his chin, before he looked at each and everyone of them. "We can pretend to agree. We can't get to her in her own home, we have to lure her out." He huffed and looked down for a second. What he was about to say would probably not go around well. "We need bait. Someone who could get her to come here."

Isaac reacted instantly, as expected. "I know what you're thinking, and that's so not going to happen. Alex is one of us now." He wrapped an arm around Alex' waist. "There has to be another way." Derek noticed that Isaac had tears in his eyes. Suddenly Alex turned to Isaac and cupped his cheeks. "I'll do it." He gave Isaac a quick kiss before he go up from his seat. "I volunteer. I don't want to live in fear. I don't want to be the reason you guys have to live with this threat hanging over you. What's the plan?"

Surprised and a little thrown off by Alex' statement, Derek got somewhat tongue-tied for a second. "Eh, I, hmm. I don't have any." He felt a little embarrassed. "I, that's the reason I wanted you here. To 'make' a plan."

After a short moment of silence, everybody started talking. Nobody was shouting anymore so it was possible to hear the different ideas. Isaac was the only one not participating, and Derek could kind of understand him. "Why aren't the sheriff here?" Chris suddenly threw out the question and looked at Derek. Derek sighed. "He doesn't want to get involved. He knows that we are possibly planning a murder."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Allison had been worried about the blood-lust she'd heard so much about. The urge to kill was embedded in a werewolf's brains. Until a fresh out of the womb werewolf had learned to control it, she or he would be life-threatening to anyone around her. She knew she'd felt it when she was tied up during the full moon, but her memory about was luckily a little blurry on that point.

As a hunter she'd also felt something like it, but back when she was a human, it was a more conscious decision. At the moment, she felt completely in control of herself, but when they talked about how to overpower Hester, she felt it. She even welcomed it.

Even if she was content being a werewolf, she felt a deep and genuine hatred for that woman. Hester had never intended Allison to turn. Hester had attacked her in order to kill her.

Allison didn't want to ask, but she hoped the others would give her the opportunity to snuff out the bitch herself. Even if Hester possibly was both stronger and more skilled, Allison had no fear. She'd been a hunter for as long as she could remember, and that had to count for something.

"Uh?" Allison startled a little when her dad nudged her. "What do you think?" He looked at her with a hint of concern in his face. "Are you even paying attention?" Allison shrugged and smiled at him. "Sure, sure, I just... What did you say?"

Chris shook his head. "I said...hmm. I think you should get your hunting-gear and protect Alex from a distance." He threw a glance at Alex before he continued. "You are a good shooter, uh, I mean an excellent one. You can be far enough away for her not to sense your presence."

Allison frowned. "You mean... I'm not going to be in on the action? Is this your way of protecting me?" She panned the faces in front of her. "If I'm going to kill her, I rather do it up close." She could see the faint nod Derek sent her, and knew that he understood. He looked down for a second. "Allison, you are the only one who can actually do this from afar. I know what you're thinking, but we need you as a backup."

Everybody stared at her. She took a deep breath. "He could!" She nodded towards her dad. "He can be the backup. His aim is as good as mine." Allison threw her hands out and tried to find support for her suggestion in the eyes staring back at her. Chris grabbed her hand. "An arrow is a better option, and I'm not half as good with the bow as you are." He sighed heavily. "I'll be there too, but we need you for this."

-o-o-o-o-o-

"Enough of that!" Hester didn't even have to raise her voice to get their attention. Jade and Joy had been talking about the Argents, and why Chris Argent was Hester's archenemy. "It's my business, and mine only." She looked at the girls before she sat down on the couch. "We're not going to talk about it now anyway." She threw a quick glance at Eric.

Both girls seemed to get the point, and Joy walked over to the grand piano. "I just don't understand it. That Argent guy killed dad, I know, but dad was on his own because you guys threw him out." She sat down on the stool, and let her fingers run over the keys. "I'm just saying."

Hester stared at her niece for a second before she snapped her fingers. Eric reacted instantly. "Yes?" He'd been hanging by the window staring into the darkness, but now he'd turned around just waiting to be ordered around.

Joy drew her breath before she put her fingers on the keys. The familiar first notes of Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 roared through the room. "Destiny!" She whispered to herself as she continued playing with a little softer touch to the keys. "What did you say?" Hester cocked her head. Joy kept playing. "Nothing, I said nothing."

Her sister shook her head, and started to walk towards the door. "I'm going to my room." Jade turned around briefly and looked at Eric. "Can you make me a snack? Just... Bring it when you have time." She didn't wait for an answer before she exited. Joy chuckled to herself. Her sister wanted a snack. She knew exactly what kind of 'snack' she really craved, but that was not going to happen. Troy would never be hers.

Joy was sick of all the drama. She wanted a normal life, and was afraid that Hester's need for revenge was eventually going to be her downfall. It was a good thing that she'd decided to leave Derek and his pack alone, although Joy wouldn't have protested it if Hester had chosen to capture him again. Joy could easily have spent hours just staring at the him. He wasn't really her type, but he was definitely eye-candy.

But still, if she never saw him or the Stilinski-boy ever again, it wouldn't be the end of the world. She was a little saddened by it. The two packs could have been friends if Hester hadn't been such a bitch. She'd put them in jeopardy when she decided to collaborate with that Alpha-pack, and now Joy was afraid that their lives would change forever.

She stopped playing and closed the piano before she got up. "I just want peace. I'm sorry if I offended you." She didn't look directly at Hester. She knew why her dad left them. He never got thrown out. He left by his own choice. Hester sighed. "It's okay. He was your dad. I understand how you feel, but he was my brother also, and I loved him."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"What about the rest of her pack? She won't come alone." Stiles had barely participated in the actual strategy discussion. He knew that he wouldn't be part of it regardless. His injured foot was one reason, but he was pretty sure Derek would actually tie him up to prevent him from coming; and his dad would condone that without even blinking. He'd still listened carefully, and what they'd come up with so far sounded good – if Hester came alone.

Derek got up and started pacing. "I know she won't, but they are Beta's, and as far as I know they have never really been in a fight before." He turned to Alex. "Am I right?" Alex straightened himself up a bit in his chair. "Uh, I, yeah." He took a deep breath, before he exhaled audibly. "I'm surprised that none of you asked me already. It was about time." He got up from his chair and looked at them all.

Stiles looked down and chuckled a little. He'd seen how Alex had seemed more and more frustrated during the conversation, and he'd suspected that he had something up his sleeve. Stiles could really like this guy. He was smart and witty, and he fit perfectly into this pack. The fact that he was unbelievably cute and gorgeous was a little intimidating, but all in all, Stiles could feel a kinship with him.

"Don't know too much about what they've been up to before I came there, but Hester have always liked to keep a low profile." He shrugged a little. "She is very protective of the girls, and I don't think they have ever been in a life-threatening situation."

When Chris was about to say something, Alex lifted his hand to stop him. "Excuse me, sir. I'm talking." The look on Chris' face made Stiles want to laugh, and he had to look away for a moment to compose himself. Alex cleared his throat. "Troy is worthless. He is tall and handsome and extremely fit, but I don't think he's ever even thrown a punch at anybody." He chuckled humorlessly. "The only thing is that he's so committed to Hester, that he could probably sacrifice himself for her."

Alex shifted a little on his feet. He'd been standing next to Isaac's chair, but now he moved and placed himself right behind him. He put his hands on Isaac's shoulders, before he continued. Stiles suspected that the guy wasn't used to addressing a crowd, and needed someone to cling to. Stiles tried to give him an encouraging smile, but wasn't sure if Alex noticed.

"Joy is the baby. Yeah, I know they are twins, but she's... She's more human than any of them." He seemed a little surprised by his own words and smiled shyly. "I mean, oh, fuck it. It's not easy to explain." Derek seemed to want to say something and Alex nodded towards him.

"Are they all just as committed to her as Troy? Would they die to protect her?" Derek rubbed his chin as he drew his breath. "Is there a crack in this picture of a perfect family? The guy, uh, what's his name? Eric? He was your friend, right?"

For a moment, Alex looked sad. He swallowed hard and had to wipe his eyes. "Eric, yeah. Eric was always there for me." He lifted his hand and pinched the bridge of his nose. Stiles could see how Isaac got extremely uncomfortable about this. He was clearly jealous. Alex managed to compose himself, and gave Isaac's shoulder a squeeze. "He's damaged though. He's a victim of the Stockholm syndrome. I suspect that he'd never betray her."

Stiles knew what he meant, but it became apparent that none of the others had a clue about what Alex was referring to. It didn't surprise Stiles one bit, he was more surprised that Alex actually knew about the term.

"What? Stockton, what?" Scott scrunched his face and stared at Alex. His mom elbowed him and rolled her eyes. Stiles had almost forgot that she was even there. She hadn't really participated much either. "Stockholm! Stockholm-syndrome. When a captive sides with his captor." She looked embarrassed on her son's behalf, but Stiles knew there was no reason for her to be.

"I would have wanted to rescue him from her, but..." Alex shook his head. "I think that would be futile. I still want to save him though." He hitched his breath. "He sort of saved me."

After almost a minute of silence, Alex let go of Isaac's shoulders and twisted his hands. "Forget about it. I'm not sure if he'd give his life for her, but he'll never join us. He'll never betray her." It looked like there was a shiver going down his spine, but then he grabbed on to Isaac's shoulders again. "She would never bring him to this meeting regardless. She doesn't trust him, even though he's the only one she can truly depend on."

Stiles couldn't help himself. He scooted forward a little and cocked his head. "What about the girls? They're her own flesh and blood. Her nieces. She can trust them for sure?" He couldn't really believe that Eric was the only one Hester could depend on.

Alex scoffed and shook his head. "I know what I know, and this I don't know for sure." He paused as to emphasize what he was about to say. "Jade is the heir of Hester's business. Okay that's a fact." He shrugged a little. "Jade is... I think she is... in love with Troy, and I think..." He seemed to squirm under the stares from everybody. "I think, uh, remember, this is only how I've perceived it." He looked down for a second. "Sometimes she wishes her aunt dead."


	52. Chapter 52

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lydia is back, and Stiles fills her in on what have happened the last few days. They are all working on the house and the progress is satisfying. They discuss what to do with Hester. Allison is adamant about killing her, but Scott and Lydia roots for a peaceful solution. Melissa and the sheriff share an awkward moment. Isaac gets to know what jealousy feels like.

For the next five days, everything went back to normal. Well, normal wasn't quite the correct term. Nothing was really as it used to be, but they tried to create a new normalcy in the pack.

Getting used to Allison being a werewolf was one of the things they had to cope with. Not that she acted very much different from before, but none of them knew for sure if she could control herself fully. They always tried to keep an eye on her just in case. Scott was the only one who didn't seem to be bothered. He told them to have faith in her.

Chris indulged himself in the plans for the new house as if it was his own. He talked to Derek about it, but other than that, he didn't really interact with any of them; not even his daughter. It seemed like he too was scared of her, although he did his best to hide it.

Isaac and Alex were practically glued together. In the woods, when they were helping out with the house, they always found a way to touch and caress each other. Every time they took a break, they went far into the woods. Stiles didn't have werewolf senses and couldn't hear them, but Derek and Scott often seemed to squirm a little looking in the direction they'd disappeared.

At the loft, it was even worse. The two of them were at it like rabbits, sometimes moaning and panting through the whole night. Werewolves didn't necessarily need much sleep, but it was hard to understand how both Isaac and Alex could be awake and alert working on the house, after a whole night of lovemaking.

Stiles' foot was healing at a satisfactory rate. Even if he still had a dull pain both in his shoulder and his chest, he felt fine. It was nice to be able to get around without too much help, and he was also able to do some minor work on the house.

The framework was done in record time. Having werewolves on the team was helpful. They didn't need any cranes or other equipment to move the lumber and hold it in place. It was almost surreal watching Allison lift a beam over her head while Derek carefully adjusted it to make sure it was level, before he attached it to the frame.

Scott had to go to work at Dr Deaton's clinic almost every day, but he spent as much time he could helping out. Sometimes the doctor himself came and lent a hand. Even the sheriff put in some effort though he was still weak.

The funny little brick construction were in use every day. Alex, who seemed to be all thumbs when it came to raising a house, was definitely less clumsy by the stove. Sometimes Melissa came and helped him cook.

Stiles nodded to himself. "That's pretty much it." He turned to Lydia and gave her a lopsided smile. The girl practically had her jaw on her chest. She was almost unable to form a coherent sentence. "You, uh, I mean... are you... serious?"

Stiles put the car in park and turned off the ignition. "Dead serious." He chuckled a little. "I know. I wouldn't have believed it myself." Lydia jumped out of the jeep, but she didn't move any closer to the house. "Allison, a werewolf? I, eh, no, no, no."

This was the first time Stiles had been able to drive there on his own. He'd ran into Lydia at the store, and after hugging each other, she'd asked what was going on. She'd tried to call Allison, but there was no answer. She'd even tried Scott and Chris, and had worried that something really bad had happened to all of them. She couldn't see any of their cars as she drove past the loft, so when she spotted the jeep outside the supermarket, she'd ran inside.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Nobody was looking in their direction, so she got a chance to observe them. Allison and Scott were working on something at the back of the house. Chris was standing on the front porch – not really a porch, just some scaffolding – pointing and explaining something to Derek. Scott's mom and the sheriff were looking at what that seemed to be a blueprint.

On the side of the house, Lydia could see the brick stove Stiles had mentioned. Isaac was standing there with his arms wrapped around that guy Alex' waist. She remembered him clearly; he was cute as a button. He leaned his head back and looked up at Isaac, as Isaac bent down a little and kissed him.

"Isaac and Alex. It was in the cards. That does not surprise me." She sighed and turned to Stiles. "I was gone for way too long. This is like, eh... OH, I missed out on everything." Stiles grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the house. "But now you're here. C'mon."

Allison spotted them first. She dumped the pieces of wood she'd been holding and ran towards them. "LYDIA! I missed you." She hesitated for a split second when Lydia took a step back, as if she was scared. Then she put her hands on her friend's shoulders. "Don't worry, I won't bite."

-o-o-o-o-o-

Isaac looked at his boyfriend with fondness. Alex was trying to get a fire going inside the brick stove, seemingly oblivious to anything that went on around him. He'd removed his T-shirt and was only wearing those old denim shorts Stiles had given him. They were hanging low on his hips, threatening to fall off. His skin had darkened significantly over the last few days working out in the sun.

The trees around the house shaded the plot somewhat, but Alex' seemed to suck up every ray that made its way through the branches. Isaac looked at his own chest. He wasn't white as snow anymore, but it took longer for him to get a tan. Getting too much sun exposure made his skin turn red. The sunburn healed almost instantly so it wasn't such a big deal, but he didn't like it.

Alex hadn't done much hard labor in his life, and he'd never really exercised too much. After five days carrying lumber and with some exciting work-out sessions in bed, Isaac could have sworn that he already started to see a slight muscle build-up in the guy. He knew it shouldn't be possible to notice any difference in that short amount of time, but Alex had almost looked a little scrawny when he first came to the loft. He didn't look scrawny anymore.

Wiggling his butt to the sound of the music as he fed the fire, he looked perfect. His body was glistening with sweat, and the hair hanging in the back of his neck was slightly damp from it. Isaac swallowed hard. 'How could he have been so lucky to meet someone that beautiful?'

They hadn't talked about commitment or anything. They were both happy with the situation and Isaac didn't want to jeopardize this relationship by bringing it up. In his gut, Isaac knew that he was in for the long haul. He could never give up Alex, ever. It scared him. Alex, with his gorgeous look and sparkling personality could have guys – and girls – falling head over heals for him. Isaac didn't want to think about, but he couldn't help it.

"Watching your man there are you?" Isaac got startled when someone came up behind him. "I can understand that, he is..." Lydia stared at Alex with approval painted on her face. Isaac blushed a little before he composed himself and gave her a hug. "Welcome back. I guess Stiles told you."

Lydia nodded and threw another peek at Alex. "Yeah, he did." In Isaac's opinion, her eyes lingered a little too long for comfort. "He is just..." She sighed. "I could easily stare at that for a long time too. Lucky you. I'd tap that."

Isaac shook the discomfort of Lydia's insinuation away with a shrug. Lydia wasn't a threat. Alex wasn't into girls. Isaac didn't think so anyway. He felt a shiver down his spine. He really didn't know much about Alex. He'd got tidbits of of the guy's life served randomly in between, but they hadn't really spent much time sharing life-stories. They had been way too busy exploring each others bodies to make time for chit-chat.

Well, Alex wasn't really Lydia's type either. She liked the tall, blonde, muscular guys. Isaac didn't feel convinced, but he repeated it to himself a couple of times like a mantra. "Oh, relax. I have to be allowed to look at him without you getting jealous." Lydia nudged him gently. "You two suit each other."

Isaac didn't get a chance to respond, before Lydia walked away. He watched her as she greeted the rest of the crowd. Then he looked at Alex again and wondered if he should ask. He and Alex were happy, and too much sharing could jeopardize that. Alex turned abruptly as if he knew he had eyes on him. With a big smile he lifted his hand to his lips and blew Isaac a kiss.

-o-o-o-o-o-

"We are gonna kill her, right?" Allison was munching on a piece of chicken as she addressed Derek. "I mean, I don't think your plan will work and we're not going to let her walk away with Alex." After a long and hard deliberation she'd caved in and told them she'd stand guard.

Scott had not been comfortable when they planned the murder, and had made Derek promise to try to reason with Hester first. Derek himself didn't seem to eager to kill her either, so he willingly agreed. "She is a smart woman, she might surprise us." Derek took a sip from his beer before he continued. "I'm not counting on it, but there is a slim chance."

Allison rolled her eyes. She'd been so ready to take that woman down, and she secretly hoped that she'd get the chance to shoot her in the heart. It was technically not a secret. Everybody knew how she felt, but they trusted her to stick with the plan.

The sheriff got up from the log he was sitting on and panned the group. "I don't want to hear it. You were not to discuss this in my presence." He turned to look directly at Allison. "I am a police officer; I can't know anything about this." Melissa hurried to get to his side when he started to walk away from them. She shook her head and sighed. "You did promise."

Allison got slightly embarrassed. She'd totally forgot that the sheriff was supposed to be kept out of the loop. She looked down. "I'm sorry, but it's been five day's and we haven't heard a word. I'm just...a little antsy. Sorry."

The sheriff waved her off. "I see, but coping under stress is important." He paused for a second. "And as I understand, it's even more important for you." He shrugged and threw a glance at Derek and Scott. "Isn't it right? She's a newbie and can..." He huffed. "Lose control."

Being told off like that was highly uncomfortable. Allison almost squirmed in her seat. Melissa and Mr Stilinski were walking away from the fire and sat down on the hood of Derek's car. Scott wrapped an arm around her and pulled her in. "It'll be okay. It's totally understandable that you forgot. We can talk about it tonight, okay?"

After the first meeting when Alex volunteered, they hadn't had a chance to have everybody gathered together like this. Allison just felt that they needed to talk some more about it when all of them were around. "Sure we can do that. I'm, I'm sorry."

Lydia looked totally lost and was sitting there with her mouth open. Allison reached her hand out and patted her friend's knee. "I'm sure you can join too." She looked up at Derek. "We can go to the loft, right?"

-o-o-o-o-o-

They decided to call it a night and after taking care of the leftovers, Melissa volunteered to take Mr Stilinski home. "I don't want to be in on this either." She gave her son a hug. "I hope you guys can come to an agreement with her. There shouldn't have to be any bloodshed." She patted Scott's back and sighed. "I know you want this to go down without a fight. You just have to convince the others."

Scott knew exactly what she meant. When she said 'the others', she was clearly referring to Allison. "Allison will not come near Hester. She'll be the backup if everything goes south." He whispered the words into his mom's ear. The rest of the crowd was busy loading the cars, so he was pretty sure nobody payed attention. "Hester has been a friend of the Hale-family for years. I'm sure Derek and her can come to an agreement."

As soon as his mom and Mr Stilinski had left, Scott walked over to Allison. She was busy loading the tools into her dad's car and startled visibly when Scott wrapped his arms around her from behind. He kissed the back of her neck before he moved around to face her. "You didn't mean that, did you?" He cocked his head and gave her a smile. "I mean, you don't really want to kill her?"

Allison rolled her eyes and tried to avert from looking at him. Scott froze up. "No! Really? Allison? We can do this peacefully; we don't need this to escalate." She took a few deep breaths before she met his eyes. "She tried to kill me. I want revenge." She rubbed her forehead vigorously. "I can wait, though. I can be a good girl and stand guard, but sooner or later I'll have to kill her."

Scott stroked her cheek and pushed the hair away from her face. "I understand how you feel, but isn't it better if we never see her again after this?" He shrugged. "If this works out, she'll stay away. She promised Derek."

In the corner of his eye, he could see that Derek approached them. He'd obviously overheard the short conversation. Allison lifted her head and stared at him. "I don't trust her for a second. She'll be back sooner or later. My dad killed her brother. She will never let that go, I'm positive."

Derek nodded. "I agree, but at the moment we are all her targets. We have to make her believe that we trust her. It's the only way. Threats are not an option here. We just want peace. Anything else we can deal with later."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Outside the Stilinski-house, Melissa exited the car and came around to help Mr Stilinski out of the passenger seat. "You'll be okay, right?" She reached her hand out for him, but he didn't take it. He got out of the car on his own and closed the door. "I'll be fine. I don't think I'm really on her list." He took a few steps forward. "That guy who attacked me was after Stiles, We all know that."

Melissa didn't know what to do. Mr Stilinski was still in recovery, but he was doing good, and she didn't know if he needed a helping hand as he walked towards the house. "I, uh, do you need any help?"

He chuckled a little. "Maybe, but I want to try." He took another two steps before he turned towards her. "You want a drink? A little one for the road." He seemed a little shy for a second. "I'm just, you know, I was just thinking, uh, Scott isn't coming home for a while and you shouldn't be alone either."

There was a few moments of silence before Melissa managed to react. Stiles' dad was inviting her for a drink. It shouldn't have been weird. She'd know him for ages, but for some reason she hesitated. "I, uh." She looked at her watch, but didn't really see the time. Mr Stilinski was waiting patiently with a smile tugging his lips. He looked perfectly at ease now, and Melissa felt stupid for not answering immediately. "Sure, one for the road. It has to be a small one. I have to drive home."

As soon as he'd unlocked the door, the sheriff gestured for Melissa to come inside. "I have to clean up. My hands ares till covered with soot from the fire." He chuckled a little. "Rearranging those logs was a bad idea." He walked over to the kitchen sink and squirted soap into his hands. "What do you want? Wine? Whiskey? Beer? I can probably manage to mix you a drink, but I wouldn't recommend it."

Melissa felt a little out of her comfort zone. She'd never been in this house alone with the sheriff. The two of them were friends so it shouldn't have been awkward, but it was. She watched him dry his hands with a small towel. "Oh, well, It didn't come out completely, but who cares." He turned around. "So, what can I get you?"

He opened a cabinet and pulled out a couple of bottles. Melissa sighed and scooted over to the couch. "I don't really care. Whatever you're having." She sat down and made herself comfortable. "I'm sorry about Allison's behavior." She threw a peek over her shoulder. "She knew that you weren't supposed to be involved."

Mr Stilinski came over with a glass in each hand. "You're sorry? Why? She's not your responsibility." He handed her the glass with half an inch of whiskey. He'd been quite a bit more generous with himself. "It's going to be okay." He walked over to the recliner and sat down. "The kids will be alright."

He didn't sound completely convinced, but he sported an encouraging smile. Melissa took a small sip from her glass. "I hope so, but Allison... I don't know if I trust her." She shook her head. "I'm afraid she'll do something stupid."

Mr Stilinski leaned forward, resting his forearm on his knees. "Trust your son. Trust Scott." He lifted his glass in a silent toast. "But we shouldn't really talk about it. I don't want to know what they are going to do."

They finished their drinks in silence. Melissa put the empty glass on the table and got up. "I better go. Will you be alright?" Stilinski nodded as he moved to get out of the chair. Melissa stopped him. "No, it's okay. Sit, I'll let myself out." She walked to the door and opened it before she turned around. "See you. Take care of yourself."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"Sure! I'll stick to the plan." Allison didn't sound completely convincing. Stiles wasn't quite sure, but he thought he spotted the flash of orange in her eyes as she said it. He didn't know what it could entail, and he wondered if anyone else had noticed.

After packing up in the woods, Chris and Allison had taken off first with Alex and Isaac in the back seat. Stiles, Lydia, and Scott had left in the jeep shortly after, and now they were all at the loft waiting for Derek.

"We don't know what she's going to say. We don't know where she wants to meet him." Allison sighed and slumped down on the recliner. "How can we make a waterproof plan when we don't know shit?"

Scott walked over to her and stroke her hair. "I believe she'll agree to whatever Derek tells her. Remember, she's outnumbered. She'd in no position to set the rules." Allison brushed his hand away. "Then we shouldn't even consider this. We could go there and just... just..." She looked up at Scott. Stiles noticed the sadness in his eyes, and felt sorry for him. Allison must have noticed too, because she grabbed his hand and squeezed it. "I'm sorry. It's just frustrating."

Lydia ran over to her and sat down on the armrest. "I don't know much about what's going on here. Stiles filled me in somewhat, and I believe that a peaceful solution will be the best." She shrugged and looked at Stiles. He knew she expected a little bit of support for her point of view.

Stiles took a few steps forward. "If possible, yeah, I agree." He nodded towards Alex. "Alex is the one in most danger here. If Derek can't convince her, he'll be in the crossfire. He should really get the opportunity to set the rules."

Alex and Isaac was in the kitchen putting the leftovers from their little get-together into the fridge. When his name was mentioned, Alex turned towards them. "Don't say that, Stiles. She is after you guys. I'm just a bargaining-chip." He shrugged. "She doesn't want a war either, but she's too proud to just back out. The only reason she asked for me back is because she doesn't want to lose face."

"You're wrong!" Everybody turned to Chris when suddenly spoke. He'd been sitting on the couch without participating in the little discussion. Now he got up and stared at Alex. "I'm the one she's after. Me and possibly Allison. Before she made that mistake to collaborate with that Alpha-pack, she had no reason to go after any of them." He gestured towards the teenagers.

Stiles nodded in agreement, but nobody payed attention to him. Chris continued. "She probably thought she could get their help to wipe us, the Argents, off the map." He chuckled humorlessly. "We also know that she wanted Derek in her pack, but the rest of you she couldn't care less about."

It was impossible to not interfere. Stiles cleared his throat and panned the crowd. "Totally! I couldn't agree more, but the fact is..." He paused a little. "As Alex said, he's just a bargaining-chip. He has no value for her per se. He'll be tossed aside in a heartbeat if she sees an opportunity to get a bigger price."

Stiles slumped down on the couch and sighed. "Alex' life is in her hands, and I don't think she'll hesitate for one second if she has to kill him."


	53. Chapter 53

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little sexytime with Isaac and Alex, involving a disturbing revelation for Isaac. Derek gets a call from Hester with instructons. Stiles has to stay home and Lydia is keepig him company. Scott and Isaac goes to the meetingpoint to assess it, and Isaac thinks about the promise Allison made him.

They were lying in bed together. Alex was curled up next to Isaac with his head on Isaac's chest. It was late, and the only ones left in the loft except for the two of them, were Stiles and Derek. While running his fingers through Alex' hair, Isaac decided to learn more about the guy. "Did you always know that you were gay?"

Alex looked up at him and seemed to think about it for a second. "Uh yeah, eh, no. Maybe. I didn't really think so much about it." He kissed Isaac's chest. "Living on the streets, surviving from day to day, didn't really make room for much introspection."

Isaac let go of Alex' hair and tickled his earlobe. "Did you ever have a girlfriend, or you know... uh, I mean... before you ran off?" Alex chuckled a little and rolled over to his back. "What's with the third-degree? Does it matter?" He closed his eyes for a moment and continued without waiting for an answer. "Uh, I have never been with a girl, sort of. Some heavy petting once when I was fourteen was about it."

"But you said you haven't been with a guy either." Isaac had wondered if Alex had been completely truthful. His skills suggested differently. Alex sighed heavily. "Eh, I, uh, that's a matter of opinion." He turned his head and kissed Isaac's shoulder. Not sure what 'a matter of opinion' meant, Isaac got a little thrown. "How so?"

It took forever to get an answer, and he had to nudge Alex and repeat the question before he finally replied. "I kind of, I... oh, you don't want to know." He went quiet again. Isaac waited patiently for him to continue. Something wasn't right.

"Before I came to Hester's it wasn't really an issue. I had bigger problems than that. At her house I got time to think, and neither her nor the girls turned me on." Alex rolled over again to rest his head on Isaac's chest. Isaac wasn't sure if he should ask; a little green monster was toying with his brain. "What about Eric? Uh, or Tr... Troy, was it?" He braced himself for the reply.

"Pfft, Troy, yuck. He looks like a Greek God, but has a personality you'd rather run away from. Eric, I, it was different." It was a sadness in Alex' voice that made Isaac squirm. "Did you, you know, hmm, 'like' like him?" It shouldn't matter. Alex was with him now. Whatever relationship Alex had with Eric, it was in the past.

"I liked him, and I'm sure we could have, I mean, things could have happened if he was into guys, but I never... I wasn't in love or anything. He became more like a brother to me." Alex ran his lips over a nipple and let his tongue caress in gently. It hardened in an instant and Isaac knew it was just a matter of time before his cock would catch up. He fought it. He wanted to know.

"What did you mean 'it's a matter of opinion'? Have you or have you not, you know...?" It was almost impossible to not get affected when Alex started sucking on the nipple. Isaac had to push him away in order to stay calm. "I get a feeling that there's something you're not telling me."

Alex looked up at him and pouted a little, before he sighed heavily. "I'm sorry, I did a few things I'm not proud of, but I needed money. I had to take care of business." He seemed embarrassed and Isaac got extremely curious. "What business exactly?"

What happened next wasn't expected. Alex suddenly jumped out of bed and started pacing. "You know I used drugs, right?" He stopped and stared out the window. "Sure, I.. well you mentioned it, but..." Isaac didn't get a chance to finish the sentence. "It was heroin, the big H, smack... I was shooting up and... well..." A shiver went through Alex' body. "I basically sucked dick for a living."

Isaac froze up. "So that's how... that's why you're so good at it." He whimpered a little when he realized what it entailed. "So when you... do you think about me as a..." A groan escaped his throat. "as a customer?" He wasn't sure he wanted to know anymore.

Alex flipped around and knelt next to the bed. He stroke Isaac's cheek. "No, no. Never think that. I was worried myself, but it's not like that. It's so totally different. Your cock is..." Tears appeared in his eyes. "Back then I did my best to make them cum fast. With you I want it to last. I love your dick. I love... I mean it's all different. Can't compare." He leaned forward and made a trail of kisses over Isaac's chest.

Isaac wasn't convinced, but being sucked off by Alex was the best thing since sliced bread. He tried not to think about how many cocks the guy had had in his mouth. It was pure business, right? He could still not shake the discomfort away. "So basically, you were a prostitute?" It sounded so dirty and didn't fit as a description of Alex.

A teardrop landed on Isaac's arm and Alex hurried to wipe his eyes. "For them I was just a hole to stick their dicks in. For them it didn't matter if I was a girl or a boy. Okay for some maybe. Most of them were happily married, sort of. With you, I, you care, you care about me. You're so good to me and I want to be good to you. I want to. I like to do it for you. It turns me on."

There was a lump in Isaac's throat. He didn't want Alex to notice so he didn't dare to say anything. There was a good chance his voice would brake if he tried. These revelations shouldn't bother him. He knew he was falling in love with Alex, and his past should not be an issue. He shook his head when the thought hit him. He wasn't falling for Alex. He fell for him a long time ago. From the moment Alex got cuffed to the radiator, Isaac knew he didn't want anyone else.

When Alex eased his hand down Isaac's body, his cock reacted promptly. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you before, but I thought maybe you'd put two and two together." He let his tongue twirl around in Isaac's bellybutton. "I kind of told Stiles and Allison part of the story. I thought maybe you overheard it."

Isaac swallowed hard before he dared to speak. "You told them? Like you told them what you did to support your habit?" The last words came out more as a quack. Alex stroke Isaac's dick gently as he peppered his tummy with kisses. "No, no. I just told them that I was an addict. I kind of made them believe that thievery was my main source of income."

It was impossible to keep the conversation going anymore. Isaac could not form any questions that made sense. Alex was lapping at the base of his cock, as he at the same time was massaging his balls gently.

They didn't use body-lotion as lube anymore; they'd gone and bought the real thing. Isaac didn't know how Alex manage to reach it during this weird foreplay, but he suddenly had a slick finger up his ass. He caved in completely. He didn't care about Alex' past anymore, he could only think about the present. The pain involved, as Alex inserted another finger was actually surprisingly arousing. With Alex' lips wrapped around his cock and two fingers fucking his ass, it was just extreme willpower that prevented him from cumming too fast.

It could of course not last forever. With a whimper he let go, and Alex swallowed every drop as usual. He was still sitting on the floor, and with his head resting on Isaac's stomach, Alex licked his lips and smiled up at him. "I never, ever swallowed for anyone else but you."

-o-o-o-o-o-

The call came early Saturday morning. Derek jumped out of bed when he saw the caller ID. He was conflicted. Handing Alex over to her went against all his instincts. Derek could feel that the guy was part of their pack now, and sending him back to Hester felt so wrong. The phone stopped ringing before he managed to press the answer button.

Derek knew she'd be calling again shortly, and decided to get up. He was far from sure that he'd be able to convince Hester to let it go, but he had to try. He was amazed by Alex' willingness to sort of sacrifice himself for them, and was adamant about saving the guy at all cost. If it meant that they had to fight Hester's pack, so be it.

They had several backup plans up their sleeves, but Derek hoped that they wouldn't have to use them.

Yesterday had been a lazy day. After working on the house for five days straight, Derek decided that they all needed a break. He'd gone to the site with Isaac just to assess the progress. Chris was there already and was not interested in taking a day off.

Allison and Lydia had gone to the mall, and Chris expected them to be there for hours, so he'd decided to go and work on his own. He insisted that he'd be okay and practically forced Derek and Isaac to leave. "It's fine, take a day off. I'm just going to do some minor adjustments, and I have to take some measurements."

When they came back to the loft, Alex had made lunch. After the meal, they played a few games and basically just slouched on the couch. Lydia, Allison and Scott had showed up in the early evening, and Alex had busied himself in the kitchen making sure their guests got fed.

Derek hat totally given up on telling the guy he didn't have to do that, because Alex didn't listen anyway. The meals he concocted were excellent, and although Derek was a perfectly capable cook, there was no comparison. The fact that Alex seemed to enjoy cooking just as much as Derek liked his food, made it easier to let him take over the kitchen.

The week Hester had given him was almost over, so he'd expected a call in the morning. Everybody knew, but they didn't talk about it. It was late when their guests left, and without much ado, they just went to their rooms to got in bed.

He and Stiles tried to ignore the sounds from Isaac's room; it wasn't so bad this time, and they have gotten used to it, so they weren't too bothered. Stiles was still a little intimidated by their mere presence, so even if Isaac and Alex didn't seem to care, Stiles was adamant about being quiet during sex. Derek found it kind of exciting to see how far he could take it before Stiles begged him to stop.

Torturing Stiles this way was actually quite fun and also arousing. Derek smiled to himself as he walked over to the kitchen and opened the fridge. There should be some leftovers from yesterday. He'd just grabbed a piece of chicken from a plate in there when the phone rang again.

"There's an old baseball field a few miles south of Beacon Hills." Hester didn't let Derek open his mouth before she started talking. "I'll send you a map." She paused and waited for a response. "Okay?" Derek didn't really know what to say, so he let it be with that. Hester continued. "You and your pack, or whoever you decide to bring, will come from the east side, near the bleachers. I, we will come from the other side."

After that verbal ambush Derek had now managed to compose himself. "Are you sure we shouldn't just call this off. Forget about everything that has happened and live happily ever after with out crossing paths ever again."

"Yeah, you'd like that." Hester huffed audibly. "You took something from me and I want it back. After that, we never will have to see each other again." Derek decided to try again. "What's Alex worth to you. Our families have been friends for generations, is this pup really worth trowing it all away for."

He could hear a sinister laugh from the other end. "Oh, Derek. My family always looked down on you. We considered you lot a charity case. The Hales, always mingling with humans. My parents and my grandparents wanted to save you from yourselves." She paused for a second. "This is nonnegotiable. Tonight at ten. Be there."

A few seconds after she hung up, Derek heard a ping from his phone. He opened the message and found a link to a map.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Lydia watched as Stiles paced around in his room. She knew perfectly well why he was so antsy. They'd all known that he was not invited to the meeting with Hester, and Stiles had complied when Derek insisted that he'd stay with his dad. It didn't mean he was happy with it, but he was smart enough to understand that he' be a liability if things went wrong.

Even if he was healing well, he was still unable to run particularly fast. He had no skills in marksmanship and in a fight with a werewolf, he'd be worthless.

"Derek doesn't trust me." He'd suddenly stopped pacing and was standing by the window, staring into the waning daylight. Lydia huffed. "It's not because he doesn't trust you. He just doesn't want you to get hurt." She got up from the chair and walked over to him. "You know that you're no good in a fight."

She put her hand on his shoulder and squeezed it gently. "He's doing it to protect you." They were standing so close that Lydia could feel Stiles shudder a little before he looked at her with sadness in his eyes. "It's not that."

He took a couple of steps back and slumped down on the bed. "He doesn't trust me to stick with him forever." Lydia got a little surprised, she'd thought he was talking about this evening's events. "What do you mean? Is there trouble in paradise?" She knew that their relationship had lasted for a while now, and there were no indications to suggest that any of them had doubts about it.

Stiles twisted his hands and sighed. "Humans don't mate for life." It sounded like he tried to mimic Derek, and Lydia had to swallow a chuckle. Stiles wasn't very good at imitations, but she understood what he meant. "You think... I mean, he thinks that you'll leave him sooner or later?"

When Sties nodded, Lydia went and sat down next to him. "What do 'you' think?" It felt a little awkward. Even if she'd known Stiles for ages, they hadn't really been close, and she was surprised that he wanted to confide in her.

"I'm so happy. I can't even imagine being with anybody else. When he talks about the house and us living together there's nothing I want more, but..." He sniffled a little. Lydia wasn't sure if she should try to comfort him, but decided to wait it out a bit. "Nobody knows the future."Stiles lifted his head and stared into the air. "I mean, we're happy. Both of us are happy. Why can't he just... not worry about the future."

Lydia cleared her throat and tried to catch Stiles' eyes. "I agree with you, but I think you should talk to him about it. I really don't know what to say." She could see that a smile was tugging his lips, but it didn't reach the eyes. "We did, sort of. I think it would be easier if I got the bite, but I'm happy as a human."

"I don't know how this works, but why would that solve anything?" Lydia had a had time calming herself. "Is there some unwritten rule for werewolves that they can't date humans?" Scott and Allison had been dating for a long time before she got turned, and Allison had never mentioned this being a problem.

"No, but werewolves mate for life. I think he's afraid I'll leave him sometime in the future, because humans are more fleeting... uh, we don't necessarily..." Lydia noticed that Stiles quickly rubbed his eye. She sighed and grabbed his hand. "You have to talk to him about it. This could ruin everything. Even if the relationship ends at one point in time, you should try to be happy as long as it lasts."

Stiles flipped his head around and stared at her. "I want it to last forever. I can imagine..." He huffed and rolled his eyes. "I just don't want him to worry about my commitment. Maybe it would be easier if..."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Scott and Isaac left in Isaac's dingy old car, while the rest of them were riding with Chris. They wanted to get there early to assess the area. None of them had ever been to this field before, or even heard about it. Hester probably knew the layout, and they didn't want to give her an advantage.

According to the sheriff, there had been a school close by, but it burnt down more than thirty years ago. Mr Stilinski didn't know much about it either. He was too young to pay any attention to the news at that time, but he believed it had been abandoned several years before the fire. He'd offered to check it out for them, but it didn't really matter.

The road leading to the field was paved, but the cracks in the tarmac were making it a bumpy ride. Isaac had never claimed he was a good driver, and Scott was clinging to his seat. He did express that he worried about not surviving the ride, which Isaac scoffed at as he hit a pothole that had them both jumping in their seats.

They did survive. They arrived five hours before the actual meeting. Getting there so early, they were pretty sure Hester hadn't showed up yet, so they exited the car and took a closer look.

The field couldn't have been in use for decades. The bleachers had fallen apart and weren't much more than a pile of rotting wood. Bushes and even a couple of small trees were growing in between the logs that at one point in time could have seated about fifty people.

It had probably never had a proper turf, but after being abandoned for years, the weeds had taken over completely. It was surrounded by trees, and Isaac suspected that the woods had grown denser over time.

It had also started to creep out into the field. A chain-link fence at the far end of the outfield – rusted and bent – was almost completely covered in shrubbery. Where the fence stopped, they could see a piece of a dirt road, and suspected that Hester would come that way.

While waiting for the others, the two of them tried to find a hiding spot for Allison. Isaac didn't know how far her arrow could travel. He knew she was a good archer, but he wanted to make sure that the distance wouldn't prevent her from hitting the target.

All the talk about a peaceful solution hadn't gone down well with Allison, and Isaac supported her point of view with a passion. He wasn't particularly proud of himself when he went out that morning shortly after Derek told them about the call. On the doorstep of the Argent-house, he'd broke down in tears begging Allison to save Alex.

She had been the epitome of cool, and he'd felt stupid for behaving like a baby, but she did promise.


	54. Chapter 54

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They are at the meeting point and Allison is not satisfied with the position. Lydia and Stiles are waiting for news at his house. Derek and Alex meets up with Hester, but a flying arrow changes the whole situation. It turns into a life and death fight. It ends with six fallen wolves, and nobody knows the extent of their injuries.

She had to stay more than 50 yards away from the meeting point. Allison wished that she'd brought the crossbow. With that, it would have been easier to get a good aim from this distance. She didn't worry about the range per se, but when shooting to kill, she should have been closer.

Hester was standing alone in the field. Allison knew that the woman had backup, but she couldn't spot anybody. The urge to release the arrow was overwhelming. She lowered her bow and took a deep breath. Without knowing who or how many people Hester had brought with her, Allison worried that she'd put her friends in jeopardy if she took the shot now.

Her dad was far behind her. He was well hidden between the trees with his rifle. They all hoped that he didn't have to use it. The sound of a gunshot would travel far and wide, and possibly alert neighbors. There were no houses nearby, but if they could get this over and done with without too much noise, it would be better.

Allison pulled out the binoculars and scanned the treeline behind Hester. The part of the dirt-road leading to the field from that side was empty. She was pretty sure Hester came with a car, but she must have parked it further up the road.

Not a leaf was moving over there. If Hester's pack was hidden there, they managed to stay still. Allison knew that Isaac and Scott was trying to circle around to cover Hester's escape, and she worried that they would not be able to detect her pack.

-o-o-o-

Lydia and Stiles were sitting on the couch watching a rerun of 'Gossip Girl'. Lydia knew that Stiles wasn't paying much attention, but he did his best to pretend.

After the little moment of sharing up in his room, Lydia felt sorry for him. At the same time, it annoyed her that guys had such a hard time talking to each other about feelings. Stiles shouldn't have to go around worrying. If Derek wanted to turn him – give him the bite – he should just say so. It would be much easier for them both if they could be completely honest with one another.

Mr Stilinski was sitting at the dining table with some papers spread out in front of him. Lydia didn't know what he was doing. She knew he'd been to the station earlier that day, and wondered if he was back on duty, but she didn't really care too much.

Scott's mom had just called, and being the only one in there without any medical issues, Lydia had picked up. Melissa had sounded a little bit distressed as she asked to speak to the sheriff. They could only hear one end of the conversation, but from that it wasn't hard to decipher what the reason for the call was.

It had lasted for almost ten minutes, which the sheriff had spent most of the time listening. Ever so often, he'd urged her to have faith, promising her that it would all work out. Lydia knew that he wasn't half as confident about the outcome of the rendezvous with Hester as he sounded, but he must have managed to calm her down. The last few minutes of the conversation had been more casual and relaxed.

Stiles, on the other hand was not particularly relaxed. He tried to hide it, but Lydia saw the signs. She could understand that Derek wanted her there. He worried that Stiles would sneak off and join them, and Lydia was sort of 'hired' to keep him in place.

It was okay. For her it would have been impossible to stay at her own house during this. After her grandma had made a surprising recovery, she and her parents had come home. They all knew that it would only be a matter of time before her condition would change again, so Lydia's mom was a little bit of a mess these days.

Lydia's concern for her grandmother was mixed with a fear that one or more of her friend wouldn't make it back. She knew perfectly well that there was nothing she could do, and hanging with Stiles was better than sitting alone in her room.

Derek had promised to call as soon as it was over, and Lydia had made Allison make the same promise. It would still be a couple of hours until they could expect anything and in the meantime, they just had to cope.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Alex and Derek walked slowly towards Hester. Derek scanned the surroundings, but couldn't spot anybody else. He couldn't see Allison either, even though he knew her approximate location. He was relieved. If he didn't see her, chances were that Hester also was unable to detect her presence.

They stopped a couple of yards away from the Alpha. Hester smiled at them and cocked her head. "Alex. We missed you." She looked at Alex for a few seconds before she shifted her gaze towards Derek. "Can you believe it. You got to second base with me without having to chat me up first." She chuckled and pointed down. There was actually a plate to indicate that they in fact were standing on second base. Derek didn't find it remotely humorous, and Hester seemed to notice. "I trust you, but I did bring backup. I assume you did too."

When Derek gave her an almost invisible nod, she turned to Alex again. "Are you ready to come home?" With a smirk she reached her hand out. "I made him a promise. I will not kill you."

Alex was about to move closer when Derek grabbed his arm. "Wait." He could see that Hester got a puzzled expression on her face. She let her hand fall down again. "I thought we were done bargaining. I'm taking him."

Derek sighed and shook his head. "I trust you to keep him alive, but is all this really worth it?" He threw his hands out. "We want to keep him, and he wants to stay. Isn't there any other way?" Hester shrugged and lowered he gaze for a second. "Sure it is." She chuckled silently. "I'll take you instead. Alex is probably a better cook, but if you want to let him stay, I'll be happy to have you in my pack."

She lifted her head and stared at Derek. He knew that his chances for survival in Hester's house was probably way better than Alex'. He'd have a comfortable life until he could manage to escape. He'd be watched around the clock to begin with, but sooner or later there would come a time.

Stiles would of course be devastated, but it would be a good test on his commitment. A shiver went down Derek's spine. He knew he couldn't bare to be away from Stiles for too long. How could he even consider it? He wanted to save Alex from her, but he wasn't ready to sacrifice his own happiness.

Derek turned to Alex. He had to squeeze his eyes shut for a moment. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I can't." He was about to address Hester again to try to reason with her when he heard a swoosh. Hester stiffened and then she bent forward. The arrow was still vibrating as she started to sink down on the ground. A split second later, he heard a dull pop as the arrowhead exploded inside her.

He stared at Hester in mild shock before a loud bang and an excruciating pain in his chest made him fall backwards. In a blur he could see Alex shifting his gaze between him and Hester. 'This was so wrong. Something went horribly wrong.'

-o-o-o-o-

Only pure luck had prevented them from stumbling over Hester's pack-members. If they had come up the path only half a minute earlier they wouldn't have heard the small cough, and would have walked straight into one of the girls.

Isaac grabbed Scott's hand and crouched down. They both knew that they had gotten too close. A gust of wind in the wrong direction could easily carry their scents towards the girl. Luckily, it was almost completely calm. A small rustle in the treetops high above them was the only sound they could hear.

Peeking up from behind the bushes they could see parts of the field. Isaac could see Derek and Alex approach Hester, but his view was partially covered by some branches. In fear of being spotted, they didn't dare to move, so they had to stay in this awkward position.

Isaac tried to see if he could spot any of Hester's other pack-members, but only that one girl they almost stumbled upon was partially visible. She was staring at Hester and Isaac hoped that she would never feel the urge to turn around.

A few minutes went by without much movement out there. Isaac thought he saw Hester reach out for Alex, before she lowered her arm again. Maybe this would go well? Isaac wished he could have been there with Alex, but knew he had to trust Derek to manage on his own.

Suddenly, Hester started to sink to her knees. It took Isaac a moment to understand what happened. He heard a shot as his eyes were focused on Allison rushing out of the woods with her bow in her hand. He didn't know what to do, but woke up from this momentary trance when he heard another shot. He saw that the girl got slightly startled by the recoil. Scott got up and pushed through the shrubbery they were hiding behind. The girl lifted the gun again and aimed at Scott.

Seconds later, a tall blonde character came from the side and followed him. Isaac turned his gaze towards Alex again. He noticed that Derek was gone. He panned the area to look for him. Allison was shouting something and Alex suddenly ducked down. Then Isaac saw it. Derek was on the ground twisting around, holding his chest. Allison was kneeling next to Hester. It was impossible to see what she was doing, but he heard Hester scream out in pain.

There was another shot and Isaac saw Scott fall forward. The blonde – probably Troy – and Allison both ran to reach him. Allison won the race and with a well placed punch, she knocked Troy to the ground.

He wasn't completely out and managed to get up fast. He charged towards Allison. Isaac couldn't take it any longer. He pushed through the bushes, and froze up when he saw that a gun was pointing straight at him. For a moment he thought he experienced double vision from the surprise, but then he realized that he was staring at the two identical twins, Joy and Jade. The only difference he could spot between them in the dim light was the fact that the nearest one was armed.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Allison ran. She saw that Derek was squirming on the ground. At least he was still alive. Alex seemed a little lost as if he didn't understand what happened. "Get down! Alex! Get down!" She screamed from the top of her lungs as she approached them.

She could hear another shot, but it was impossible to determine where it came from. Alex dropped instantly to the ground and stared at her. Hester was panting heavily. The arrow was sticking out of her tummy. She was practically gutted after the tip of it exploded inside her. "Alex, pull it out! I demand you to pull it out."

Alex looked bewildered. He threw a peek at Derek, before he reached his hand out towards Hester. Allison was at the spot now. "NO!" She dived in between them and grabbed the arrow. With a quick move of her hand she twisted it around earning a groan from the woman lying there on the ground. She twisted it again. Hester's neck got exposed as she screamed out in pain.

"Allison! Allison! What are you doing?" The shouting from Scott made her turn. He was running towards her waving his arms. Behind him she could see a blonde man trying to catch up. Time was running out. Allison bent down and after taking a deep breath she sunk her teeth into the Alpha's neck.

She must have hit an artery. Allison's mouth got instantly filled with blood. The taste of it was slightly repulsing, but she didn't let go. Hester grabbed onto her shoulders and dug her claws in, leaving long gashes down Allison's arms.

With her teeth still dug deep into the woman's neck, Allison managed to rip one arm loose. She put her hand on Hester's throat, and after hesitating for a second, she tightened the grip before she ripped out a piece of flesh and flung it to the side. The woman's trachea was practically shredded. A shiver went through Hester's body before it went limp. The blood that had been pumping into Allison's mouth stopped as the heart gave in.

Another shot roared through the silence, and Allison saw Scott fall forward on the ground. The blonde chasing him was only a few yards away, and it looked like he was about to jump on top of Scott. Allison reacted on instinct. She moved forward in an insane speed and knocked the guy to the ground.

She could see the two young girls by the treeline. One of them was holding a gun. Troy – probably Troy – got up and she had to concentrate on defending herself. In the corner of her eyes she saw Isaac come crashing through the bushes, before she got attacked.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"Joy, please..." Alex' sounded like a wounded animal as he got up from the ground and darted towards them. "Take me! I will do whatever you want, but spare him." Joy threw a quick peek at him, before she looked back at Isaac. The guy had froze in his step. He was too far away from her to attack, so she held him at gunpoint hoping he'd stay still.

She watched as Alex stopped for a moment when he passed Troy and that girl, Allison. Joy knew that she was the one who'd shot Hester. She lifted her head and howled towards the sky, before she turned towards Alex again. He was moving closer, but her eyes focused on the fight going on behind him. Allison was charging towards Troy. Those red eyes could only mean one thing. Hester was dead and this newbie had acquired the Alpha status.

A faint crackle and a grunt behind her made her turn to Jade. Blood was seeping out of her forehead as she sunk to the ground. Joy had never felt so alone before. Her family was falling around her and there was nothing she could do about it. She swallowed hard and stared at Isaac.

Alex was getting close now. She'd never seen him wolf out before; not like this. In the comfort of their home as Hester trained them, it was different. His almost girl-like features were gone and Joy knew he would attack her.

"I know you. You're not a killer and I don't want to hurt you." Alex' voice was almost unrecognizable, but there was a soreness in it that made her sad. He had stopped now. He looked at Isaac before he again turned to Joy. "Please. I love him."

Joy didn't know if anyone from her pack was going to make it. Her sister was whimpering behind her. Troy was fighting a losing battle. Scott was back on his feet, and Joy knew that Troy wouldn't stand a chance against two Alphas.

She took a deep breath before she squeezed the trigger slowly. She didn't want to kill Isaac, but she needed to get away. Just before the pin hit the bullet she lowered the aim and saw the impact when the bullet hit Isaac in the shoulder.

The moment he fell, she turned to Alex. She didn't want to hurt him so she just threw the gun at him to distract him before she ran into the woods. Alex was charging for her, but got slightly thrown off when he had to protect himself from the flying object. She threw a quick peek over her shoulder. As she'd suspected, Alex didn't want to leave Isaac. She could hear him cry out as he slumped down on the ground. "You'll be okay, Isaac! She was just doing it to save herself."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: I'm going on vacation shortly, so there might be a problem posting over the next couple of weeks. I don't know if I'll have a decent internet connection. I will try to get the next chapter done before I go, but I make no promises. Hang in there, though. I may worry without reason. I'll keep writing and hopefully I'll have a few more chapters done when I'm back.


	55. Chapter 55

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eric is happy about Alex coming home, and tries to make everything perfect for his return. Allison realizes what she's done, but she gets no time for regrets. Chris put her and Alex to work to clean up the place. Chris gets frustrated by Alex' behavior. Lydia gets a notion that something is not right, and she calls Allison. As soon as she and Stiles learn where the others are heading, they leave the house to meet them. Allison drives recklessly through the night, hoping she can save her friends.

Eric was excited. He'd changed the linens on Alex' bed and lit some scented candles to give the room a relaxed atmosphere. A bottle of white wine was sitting in a bucket of ice on the table. He'd made a plate of Petits fours that he'd covered with saran-wrap. It was almost like he was expecting a date, but he knew that Alex would understand.

There was a chance that Alex wouldn't be using his room tonight. Hester would possibly put him in the cage, but Eric would try to convince her to let him be this one night.

He'd also made sure to decant Hester's favorite wine. If she for some reason needed a punching bag when they arrived, Eric would offer himself up. He knew that Alex would be guarded and possibly chained up for an extended period of time, but tonight, Eric wanted him to feel welcomed. He wanted him to be excited about coming home.

It shouldn't be long now before he'd be able to hear the car, and he did a last minute assessment of the premises. He didn't want Hester to find anything to bitch about when she came back. Satisfied with his own work, Eric poured himself a glass of wine and slumped down on the couch.

The sound from outside was slightly disturbing. It wasn't like Hester to speed up the driveway like that. Eric jumped up from his seat and rushed towards the door. Something must have gone wrong.

Joy came crashing in. She was crying uncontrollably as she sunk down on the floor in the hall. "They killed her! I ran. I'm a fucking coward, I didn't even try to save them." Eric didn't know what to do. He crouched down and reached his hand out towards her. "Killed who? You don't mean..." He didn't get to finish before Joy grabbed him and clung to him for dear life. "Yes, yes. Hester is dead. Troy is... I don't know."

Eric was seriously conflicted. He wanted to ask all sorts of questions, but he decided to let Joy set the pace. It took several minutes before the sobbing subsided. She rubbed her face against his chest in an attempt to wipe the tears away.

"What happened?" He had to ask. "What about Jade and, and, uh, Alex?" Joy sniffled a little against his chest. "I don't know. Alex... he, I couldn't do it. He... begged me and I..." She emitted a sore cry. "We have to save my sister. We have to get her."

-o-o-o-o-o-

It was like a veil suddenly had been lifted from her face and she could see clearly. Allison was sitting on top of Troy's almost lifeless body. The guy was still breathing, but she didn't think he was fully conscious. At the treeline, next to a rusted chain-link fence, Isaac was on the ground. His head was in Alex' lap, and Allison could hear sobbing from over there.

The young girl – obviously Jade – was lying still next to them. Allison wondered if she was dead, but then she saw her roll over to her stomach and crawl towards Alex and Isaac. She knew she had to stop her, but a whimper next to her made her turn. Scott had his hands pressed to his side as he slowly sunk down on the ground. Blood was seeping out between his fingers and Allison wondered why he didn't heal. She got up and barely managed to catch him before he fell over. "It's wolfsbane, I think it's wolfsbane in the bullet." He huffed the words out. "Get it, uh, out of me."

Allison didn't know what to do and wondered why nobody came to her assistance. She threw a peek over her shoulder. Hester was lying there with her throat ripped to shreds. The arrow was still sticking up from her tummy, and she was practically covered in blood. Derek was also on the ground, and Allison couldn't spot any movement from him either.

She threw her head back and howled towards the night sky. Her friends were dead or dying and there was nothing she could do. She knew it was her fault. When she released that arrow, she'd started something that had escalated into a bloodbath. Her own egotistical urge for revenge, had put everybody in jeopardy.

-o-o-o-o-o-

"Allison! ALLISON!" Chris could see that his daughter got a little startled when she heard him. He ran towards her. "We have to get out of here. We have to get them out of here." He stopped next to Derek, and crouched down before he shook him violently. He sighed in relief when Derek reacted and tried to sit up. "Get to the car, I have to take care of the rest of them." Chris pointed towards where the SUV was parked. Derek had a hard time getting to his feet, and he gestured for Chris to help him, but there was no time. "Derek! If you can't walk, you have to crawl. Come on."

As soon as he was at Allison's side, he helped her get Scott to his feet. "Get him, uh, get them," He nodded towards Derek. "Help them to the car and come back." He pointed to the guy on the ground. "I'll take care of this." Troy was slowly starting to heal, but being mauled by two Alphas, it would probably take a while before he was completely back to normal.

Chris could see that the young girl was closing in on Isaac and Alex, and wondered who to take care of first. He was surprised that she wasn't dead. He could have sworn that he'd hit her in the head with the bullet.

Suddenly, Alex let go of Isaac and got up. He looked fierce as he growled loudly and grabbed the girl by her hair. "Don't you dare touching him." He hissed out, before he wrapped his other hand around her neck. Chris could hear her cry out in pain, and he could see the blood seeping from a small hole in her forehead. So he'd been correct. She did get a bullet through her brain. Chris could not understand why she was still alive.

There was no time to ponder. He hoped that Alex was in control and with a well placed kick, he managed to get Troy to turn over. He cuffed him and forced him up on his feet. If it was true that a wound from an Alpha took longer to heal, this guy could possibly die from blood-loss before long. Chris couldn't care less. He just wanted to make sure that he couldn't do any damage.

In the meantime, Alex had let go of the girl, but he was holding her down with one foot on her chest. He kept an eye on Isaac and as soon as Chris was at his side, he ran back to the boy and cradled him in his arms. "Why doesn't he heal? I mean... it is just a flesh-wound." Alex looked up at Chris. Isaac was awake, but he was clearly in a lot of pain. "Wolfsbane in the bullet. We can fix it." Chris threw Troy on the ground next to the girl. He'd no idea which one of the twins this was, but it didn't really matter.

"We have to get him to Beacon Hills." Chris didn't avert his gaze from the two werewolves on the ground. "And you will have to help me with this." Alex didn't answer at first, but Chris could hear him struggling to get Isaac up. "I don't want to leave him." Alex barely managed to get the words out without crying. "He can't die."

Chris moved so he could see the field while still keeping the guys on the ground in view. Allison came running towards them. She'd obviously managed to get Scott and Derek into the car. "He's not going to die. Do as I say. Allison will take him to the doctor."

"The doctor? What doctor can fix this. There will be questions." Alex was sobbing now, and Chris shook his head. This wimpy little werewolf was starting to annoy him. "Dr Deaton. He can fix this. I just wished we had an unused bullet. It's easier if he has the same wolfsbane."

Allison was at Isaac's side now and helped Alex holding him up. Alex wiped his eyes. "I, uh, Joy threw the gun at me. I don't know where it is, but... it's around here. Will that help?" Chris smiled at him. "Yes! Find it!" He gestured for Alex to let go of Isaac. "Allison! Call Deaton and take them there. Alex and I will take clean up this mess."

Both of them reacted and Chris was happy to not have to repeat himself. As Allison partially carried and partially dragged Isaac with her, Chris suddenly remembered that he didn't know where the other car was. "Isaac, wait. Where's your car, we need to borrow it."

With great effort, Isaac dug his hand into his pocket and pulled out a set of keys. When he was unable to lift his hand to throw them, he just let them fall to the ground. "It's behind a shed, next to that burnt out building. It's a little bit of a walk." He panted heavily as if talking took all his strength.

Alex found the gun and handed it to Allison. "Take care of him, will you?" He stroke Isaac's cheek before he kissed him gently on the lips. Chris had to turn away; it was a little embarrassing to watch. "Oh, come on. He'll be fine."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

They were going to meet Hester at ten. If everything went according to plan, it should be a quick rendezvous. Stiles had expected to hear from Derek shortly after. When it was almost eleven, he started to worry. Lydia had been the epitome of cool all evening, but Stiles could see in her eyes that she too was a little distressed at the moment.

His dad was clearly a little nervous also. The contents of the whiskey bottle on the table had decreased significantly over the last hour, and he was unable to focus on the paperwork in front of him.

Stiles wanted to call, but he didn't dare. He was afraid that if they were in any kind of trouble, the sound of a cellphone could throw them off. He could see that Lydia threw a sneak peek at her phone ever so often, and he was pretty sure she had the same thoughts.

"Eh, Lydia, I, eh... shouldn't we do something? We should have heard from them by now." He couldn't take the silence anymore. Lydia took a couple of deep breaths before she turned to him. "I don't really know how my abilities work, but I can't feel anything right now." She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment. "I can't be sure, but I think I would have felt it if any of them were dead."

That had to be a good thing. Stiles felt a little better, but then he saw Lydia scrunch her face as if she was in pain. "What? Did you... uh, can you sense anything?" She shook her head and sighed. "I don't know. Something is not right, but I don't know what it is."

Stiles grabbed her hand and Lydia reacted as if she'd been electrocuted. She pulled away and stared at him. "Derek!" She seemed to hold her breath for a second. Stiles reached out for her hand again. "Derek? Why did you say his his name?" He noticed that Lydia scooted away as if she was scared of him. A shiver went down his spine. He was pretty sure Lydia had felt that there was something wrong with Derek.

"You have a bond with him, I guess." She took a deep breath. "It was like I could feel his pain when I touched you." Her words made Stiles choke up. "What do you mean? Physical pain?" He needed to know what this was all about and without warning, he grabbed her forearm. Lydia emitted a faint whimper before she ripped herself loose and jumped out of the couch. "He is at ease. Derek is relaxed, but he is in pain. Do not touch me again."

She started pacing. The sheriff looked up at her but didn't say anything. He shifted his gaze towards Stiles and lifted a brow. Stiles was out of the couch now and tried to approach Lydia as he addressed his father. "Something went wrong. Derek is hurt. Lydia could feel that he is in pain."

His dad shook his head and twirled the tumbler in his hand. "Oh my God. I'm trying to get used to that werewolves exist, and now you're telling me we have a psychic in our midst. Come on." Under any other circumstances, Stiles would have found it funny, but now he just got annoyed. "She's not a psychic, she's a... oh fuck. I, does it matter?"

Lydia was fumbling with her phone. She kept an eye on Stiles as she walked backwards. "I'm calling Allison. Stay away from me." Stiles wanted to know more, but he braced himself waiting for Lydia to make the call.

He could see that she was worried. She pressed the phone to her ear and held her breath. Suddenly tears welled up in her eyes as she stared at Stiles. "Voice-mail. She didn't pick up." She was breathing heavily now. Stiles was about to reach out for her again when a ping from the phone startled them both. Lydia looked at it before she lifted her hand and turned the screen towards Stiles. "DR DEATON."

-o-o-o-o-o-

Chris didn't know Alex very well, but he'd accepted him. Not that he was in any position to decide who Derek wanted to have in his pack, but Alex had not given him any cause for concern. At the moment, he regretted that he didn't send him to Beacon Hills and Doctor Deaton. Allison would have handled this task much better.

Alex was constantly wiping his eyes, and Chris could hear him sniffle as he cuffed the girl and tied both her and the other werewolf to a tree. That guy was a disgrace to his species. Not that Chris had so many warm feelings for werewolves in general, but he'd learned to respect them.

Werewolves that wanted to live in peace had never been much of a concern for him, but he'd always kept a watchful eyes on the ones he knew about. He never trusted them fully. After getting to know Derek and Scott, he managed to treat them as humans and the trust had started to build up. When Allison got turned, his view on them had changed even more.

In his life as a hunter, he'd always looked at the enemy as strong and unyielding. The members of a pack were committed to one another and the bond between them was based on the same values as the hunters'.

Both hunters and werewolves were trained to control themselves, and they also needed to be able to detach themselves from sentimental feelings when they were in a fight. Hunters were looked upon as weak if they allowed themselves to crack under pressure. Chris expected the same from his former enemies.

Not so with Alex. He was just a sobbing mess. His delicate features and his scrawny body didn't really fit the picture of a werwolf either. Chris hadn't really noticed before, but Alex moved like a girl and he almost looked like a girl.

He didn't have anything against homosexuals, but he couldn't understand why they had to flaunt it. Alex was still a man, and should be perfectly capable of behaving like one.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Stiles didn't hesitate for a second. His foot was practically back to normal as long as he didn't put too much pressure on it. He knew he couldn't outrun Lydia regardless, and his dad could possibly try to stop him, but it didn't matter. He needed to go to Dr Deaton's clinic instantly.

"I'm going. I don't care what you say." He scooted towards the door and bent down to put on his shoes. His dad looked a little puzzled, and Stiles realized that he hadn't seen the text, and couldn't possibly know what was going on.

"Sorry, I..." He turned to Lydia. "Show him, I'm going." Lydia walked over to the table and put her phone down in front of the sheriff. "Allison sent this text. I don't know what it means, but I think we can all guess." She looked at Stiles. "Wait. I'm coming with, if you don't mind?"

His father tried to get up from his chair, but after downing a good portion of whiskey, he seemed a little unsteady. "Hang in there, kids. Shouldn't we try to find out more. This could be a con. What if someone is just trying to lure you outside." He reached for his own phone. "We have to try to call them all."

Stiles sighed heavily. He had his hand on the doorknob already, but knew that what his dad said made sense. "I'll try Derek. Lydia. You have Scott's number, right?"

Derek didn't pick up, and Stiles could see on her face that Lydia didn't get an answer from Scott either. Chills went down his spine. He had to take a couple of deep breaths in order to stay calm. "Try Allison again. I'll find Isaac's number."

"Ahem!" Stiles flipped his head around when his dad cleared his throat. The sheriff was holding his phone to his ear. Stiles hadn't payed attention to him at all and wondered who he had called. "Okay, good." He raised his thumb towards Stiles and Lydia. "Yeah. No, I don't need more information." He put down the phone and poured himself another drink. Stiles stared at him. "Are you gonna share? Who'd you talk with?"

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Allison drove as fast as she dared. She worried that she wouldn't get to Beacon Hills fast enough. She'd managed to get a hold of Dr Deaton, and he'd told her he'd meet them at the clinic. She slipped her phone into the cup-holder between the seats before she maneuvered Isaac into the back seat with Derek.

Then she jumped into the car and looked at the three guys. Scott was sitting next to her clenching his side. Blood was seeping out between his fingers, but he seemed to be somewhat alert. Allison had to wipe her eyes. She didn't want to cry. Isaac's moans from the back was somewhat disturbing, but she knew she had to block it out. Derek seemed to be drifting in and out of consciousness, and he was bleeding heavily from a wound in his chest.

The feeling of victory as she killed Hester had completely vanished. This was not a victory. This was disaster. Scott seemed to be doing alright, but he didn't heal the way he should. Isaac was still somewhat conscious, but he was clearly in a lot of pain. Allison knew that if the wolfsbane in the bullet traveled to his heart he could die, and he was hit only inches away.

Derek was pretty much out cold. Allison didn't even know if he was breathing and she feared the worst. She couldn't really check on him either. She had to concentrate on the driving. The road leading to the field was in bad condition. When her dad drove there, the sun was still up, but now it was practically pitch black. Allison had a hard time avoiding the cracks and holes in tarmac. The headlights didn't help much because the road had multiple curves, so she didn't get a very good view ahead of her.

In the corner of her eye, she could see the phone light up when she got an incoming call. She couldn't pick up and threw a quick peek at Scott. "Please, can you..." Scott nodded and reached for the phone, but with his hand covered in blood, the phone slipped and landed on the floor between his feet.

With great effort, he managed to pick it up, but it was too late. "It, uh, uh, was Lydia. I can call...her." He panted heavily as fiddled with the phone. Allison shook her head. She wouldn't know what to say. She had no idea about the prognoses and didn't want to have to lie. "No. Can you text her? Just tell her where we're heading."

Allison sighed in relief when she finally got out of the woods. The rest of the trip would be significantly smoother. She dared to turn to check on Derek. He looked dead, but when she saw a small tremble in his eyelids, she almost got blinded by tears. She hurried to wipe her eyes as she increased the speed. Derek was still alive, but she didn't know for how long.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's it before my vacation. I will be writing, and if I don't post anything the next couple of weeks, I'll promise to have at least two more chapters done for when I come back.


	56. Chapter 56

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex and Chris are 'cleaning up the crime-scene'. They do not trust each other, and Chris doesn't hide the fact that he resent Alex. Dr. Deaton gets his hand full and is not sure he can handle it. Stiles and Lydia get there in the middle of a minor drama. They are all in for a surprise when Allison's status is revealed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back. Had a nice vacation. I thought I could get some writing done, but too much partying and too much sun got to me. I'm back on track now though.

Alex tried to keep calm and act professional, but it was almost impossible under the circumstances. Mr Argent grunting behind him like a mad bear didn't make it any easier. When the guy's phone rang, he picked up and started to walk towards Hester. Alex sighed in relief. Having Chris Argent hovering over him was quite intimidating.

He managed to cuff Jade without protest. She was somewhat alert, but looked horrible. Blood had coagulated on her face and made her almost unrecognizable. She had a bullet wound in the center of her forehead, and Alex was surprised that it hadn't killed her.

Troy was lying there practically lifeless, and Alex had to drag him towards the tree. He was cuffed with his hands behind his back, and Alex used the rope provided and looped it through the cuffs before he tied both him and Jade to the tree.

He had never carried any warm feelings for Troy, and Jade was the one twin he hadn't really had anything to do with. She was taking after her adoptive mother, and he'd always sensed an evil streak in her. He still looked at them as family after living with them for more than six months. No matter what happened in that house, Hester had saved him from a worse fate.

Alex got to his feet. Tears was blurring his view, but with great willpower, he managed to keep the sound of crying down to a minimum. Jade stared up at him with pleading eyes. She looked somewhat confused, but a head injury like that could probably make anybody a little dizzy. Alex checked his pockets for some tissue, but when he couldn't find any, he reached to his shoulder and tore the sleeve off his T-shirt.

He knew there wasn't any water around so he spit on the piece of cloth before he started to wipe the blood off Jade's face. "I'm sorry. I..." He choked up a bit when Jade smiled at him. "I don't know what will happen to you, but...uh, I'll try to save your life."

It wasn't easy to get the blood off, but soon she looked a little better. Jade opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something, but nothing came out at first. She closed her eyes for a second. "IsTroythere?" Her voice was slurred. Alex nodded. "Yeah. He's here." He wiped another speck of blood from her nose.

"Tell'm. Tell him...I love him." Jade leaned her head on the trunk of the tree and breathed heavily. Alex was about to tell her that Troy was sitting only a couple of feet away when he was practically lifted off the ground. "WE DO NOT FRATERNIZE WITH THE ENEMY!" Mr Argent tossed him to the ground and pointed a gun at him. "Can I even trust you?"

Alex hurried to get back on his feet and brushed the dirt off his pants. "You can. I'm sorry, but... they were my family." He slumped his head down and threw a quick glance at Jade and Troy. "What will you to to them?"

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Dr Deaton waited outside the clinic as Allison pulled into the small parking lot. She jumped out of the car and waved him over. Scott managed to get out of the passenger seat by himself, but the two other boys were practically unconscious. Scott's wound was a through-and-through high on his hip. It had stopped bleeding, but black streaks was forming under the skin. Deaton decided to let him wait.

He opened the door on Isaac's side and assessed his injuries. The boy obviously had the bullet lodged in his shoulder. It was probably still seeping wolfsbane into the flesh and could possibly be lethal if it wasn't removed quickly. He was about to lift him out of the car when Allison pushed him away. "I'll do it." With ease she managed to get Isaac into her arms and carried him bridal style towards the door. "Take care of Derek, I'll be back."

Dr Deaton stared at her for a moment, but didn't have time to ponder. He crawled into the car and looked at Derek. He was out cold and the wound in his chest was very close to the heart. His life was hanging by a thread and Deaton didn't know if he could be saved.

Allison came running out again to help getting Derek into the clinic. His body was leaning heavily on the door on the other side, so when Allison opened it, he practically fell into her arms. She gestured for the Doctor to help her so he rushed to the other side of the car and grabbed Derek's legs.

As soon as they were all inside, Allison handed him a gun. "They were shot with this. Dad told me it would help if you had the weapon." She seemed distressed, which was understandable. He gave her a lopsided smile as he released the clip. "Not the weapon. The bullets."

Allison looked a little embarrassed. "Yeah, sure. I knew that." She threw her hands out. "What can I do?"

Deaton had no idea about what Allison could do. He wasn't quite sure if he himself could managed this situation, but he decided to take care of Derek first. Scott was reasonably alert, sitting on a chair by the sink. "Scott, can you help?" He looked at Allison and shrugged. "Sorry, but you have no medical training as far as I know."

He could see that she narrowed her eyes, and for a second there it looked like she was about to bare her teeth. Then she hurried to look down and breathed heavily. "I can remove a bullet, if that's what you need help with. If you knew..." She shook her head and walked over to Isaac. He was on the floor, because – as Allison explained a few minutes earlier – she knew they'd need the operating table for Derek. Scott got out of the chair, and practically crawled over to them. "I'll get the tools, let's do this."

Dr Deaton let them be, hoping they could deal. He'd removed Derek's shirt and cleaned the blood off his chest so he could see the actual wound. He was hit in the sternum, and feeling around in there with his finger the Doctor could touch the bullet. It was completely stuck in there and he had to use considerable force just to get a hold of it.

In the meantime, Allison had managed to locate the bullet in Isaac's shoulder. Scott handed her a set of long slim forceps and with a steady hand she inserted it into the wound. Dr Deaton didn't have time to watch. He drew his breath before he tried to pull out Derek's bullet. It was tough, but then, he felt that it loosened somewhat. He pulled one more time and suddenly the bullet came out causing him to almost fall backwards.

He hurried to grab a pair of pliers before he picked a couple of bullets out of the clip from the gun. It wasn't easy to get it open, but before he had time to even curse about it, Allison was up and reached out for it. "Let me." She didn't wait for Deaton to hand it over, she just grabbed the bullet and the pliers. With a quick twist it was open. "And then, what do we do?"

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

As soon as the sheriff was done on the phone, he'd downed another drink before he told them what he'd learned. Derek, Scott, Isaac, and Allison were on their way to Beacon Hills and Dr Deaton's office. The three guy's were all injured, but the sheriff had no information on the seriousness of their injuries. "Chris said something about wolfsbane bullets, but I didn't quite understand..."

Stiles was out the door before the sheriff had finished the sentence. Lydia looked at the sheriff. He waved towards the door. "Go with him." She didn't hesitate and ran outside. She had to dive into the jeep as Stiles pulled out of the driveway.

Stiles drove pretty recklessly towards Dr Deaton's clinic. Lydia was clinging to her seat for dear life, as they drove through a curve. She could have sworn that the tires on one side didn't touch the ground.

The jeep skidded to a halt practically on the doorstep of the clinic, and Stiles jumped out. Lydia recognized Mr Argent's car. Three of the door were wide open and a trail of blood lead towards the side of the building. Stiles was already at the front door, banging on it, when Lydia got out of the car and grabbed his arm. "Not here. There." She nodded towards the blood on the ground and pulled Stiles with her. There was another door around the corner. "I'm guessing that this one is unlocked."

Lydia tried to hold Stiles back. She didn't know what they'd find in there. "Relax and take a breath. You're hyperventilating." Stiles stopped for a second, but as soon as Lydia let go of him he darted for the door. "Derek and Scott are injured. I don't care if I pass out from lack of oxygen."

She followed him inside. The sight that met them as they entered the clinic was horrible. Isaac was lying in a pool of blood on the floor. Scott was sitting next to him pressing a piece of cloth towards his shoulder. Allison had her back turned to them as they entered, but she hurriedly flipped around when she heard them.

Derek was on an operating table with Dr Deaton hovering over him. The table was probably made for animals, and was a little short. He poured something that looked like ashes into an open wound in Derek's chest. Lydia got slightly grossed out when the doctor dug his finger into the wound. There were veins of black covering Derek's upper torso, but as she watched they started to vanish.

Suddenly, the doctor stopped what he was doing and tilted Derek's head back. "No, no, no." Deaton started to rhythmically push on Derek's chest. Lydia knew perfectly well what was going on and she automatically grabbed on to Stiles when she noticed that he was about to fall over.

"Scott! Can you stand? Can you get the defibrillator?" Deaton sounded slightly panicked. Allison reacted immediately and pulled Scott of the floor. "Where is it?" Scott nodded towards a cupboard and Allison dived over and picked it out. She placed it on the table next to Derek. "I don't know how to use it. Scott! You've got to help."

Scott didn't seem in any condition to do much, it looked like he was about to collapse. Lydia didn't know where she got the strength from, but she managed to maneuver Stiles to a chair before she rushed over to the doctor. "I know CPR. I can help." The doctor pulled away and let her take over. She put her lips on Derek's and blew air into his lungs a few times before she continued with chest compressions.

As the two of them did their best to resuscitate Derek, the doctor shouted out orders to Allison. "You saw what I did with the wolfsbane?" He threw a quick glance at Allison. "When she nodded, he pointed to Isaac. "Do the same with his wound, or else we're gonna have another one dying on us."

As soon as the doctor had the defibrillator hooked up, he shouted for Lydia to get away. Derek's body convulsed as his heart got shocked. Deaton hurried to use the stethoscope to listen for a heartbeat. A small head-shake told Lydia that there was none, so she continued with the CPR until the the doctor had the defibrillator ready again.

"What about Scott?" Allison sounded like she was on the brink of crying when Scott slowly sunk to his knees again. Lydia didn't really have time to pay attention, but when Deaton made another attempt to start Derek's heart, she looked down on the floor. Allison used two fingers to hold open the wound in Isaac's shoulder, and then she poured ashes into it.

"You treat him after." The doctor addressed Allison as he pulled away from Derek and gestured for Lydia to continue the chest compressions on him. During all this, Stiles was trying to get up from the chair, but it seemed like he was partially paralyzed.

It took two more shocks before the doctor finally got a heartbeat. Lydia cried out in joy and rushed over to Stiles. "He did it, He did it. Derek is alive."

They cried in each others arms, and when they heard a moan from Derek, they both ran over to the table and looked at him. He seemed a little confused, but it didn't take long before he managed to sit up.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"What are you going to do with them?" Alex grabbed the keys Chris was handing him, but wasn't sure if he wanted to leave Jade and Troy alone with the guy. "I could watch them while you get the car."

Mr Argent scoffed and threw a glance at the two prisoners. "Yeah, right. Go on Alex, I'm not gonna hurt them. Just get the car." He was standing there holding his rifle across his chest. "Hm, unless they try something funny."

Alex swallowed hard as he took a few steps backwards. "Jade, please. Don't move. He's not joking." The look Chris sent him was quite intimidating, but he continued. "I'll be right back. It'll be okay."

He had no idea if it would be okay, but he had to hope. He ran the fast as he could towards the old burnt out school building. The car was behind the shed as Isaac had explained and Alex jumped in and turned the ignition. He had no real experience with standard shift, but managed to get on the road without too much trouble.

Back at the site, nothing had changed and as soon as the car was parked, Chris rushed towards it. He opened the trunk and looked into it, before he tossed out the spare tire and an empty cooler. "Get them in there." He nodded towards Jade and Troy. Alex widened his eyes. "NO! You can't... Why?"

He tried to reason with Chris. "We can put them in the back seat, it'll be okay. I'm sure they won't try anything." He scooted towards the prisoners. "Please!?" Chris had the rifle hanging on his shoulder, but with a quick move he pointed it at Alex. "This is not open for debate. Get on with it, or you're going in too."

Alex didn't want to fight. He knew he could possibly get in a fatal bite before Chris managed to pull the trigger, but it wouldn't help anybody. He went over and untied Jade before he led her to the car. She was perfectly capable of walking on her own, but she didn't seem to be aware of what went on around her. When Alex gestured for her to get in the trunk, she just did it without complaining.

Troy was a little more alert, and his scars were healing slowly but surely. He was still bleeding and his breathing was labored, but the look in his eyes as Alex untied him was slightly intimidating. Alex threw a peek over his shoulder to make sure Chris was paying attention before he gestured for Troy to get to his feet.

Things happened very quickly. Troy turned around and grabbed Alex by the throat; he'd obviously managed to ruin the chain that connected the cuffs. "You little shit." He was about to lift his other hand when Chris knocked him out with the butt of the rifle. Troy stumbled backwards but got his balance back in an instant. He stared at Alex. "Fuck you!" He hissed out before he dived into the woods. Chris pulled the trigger and hit him in the back causing him to fall on his face.

Alex jumped on top of him and tried to hold him down. Troy was much stronger and it seemed like an impossible task until Chris pressed the barrel of the rifle into his neck. "If you have a death-wish you could just say so. I won't hesitate."

The crisis was averted and together Chris and Alex managed to get Troy into the trunk. He was cursing up a storm, but when he saw Jade in there with the bullet wound in her forehead, he went quiet. He'd obviously not noticed her injury before. She was crying and begging him to keep calm.

As soon as he'd closed the trunk, Chris went over to Hester's corpse and lifted her up. He seemed sad, which Alex found kind of odd. Carefully he placed the body in the backseat of the car, before he opened the driver's door. "Get in, I'm driving."

Alex did as he was told, but as they drove out of there he couldn't help himself. "She's dead, and yet you treated her better than the other two. Why?" He waited patiently for an answer as Chris seemed to be concentrating on the road. When they were out of the woods he turned to Alex. "She was a worthy opponent. Bitch or not, she has never killed an innocent. She made a huge mistake turning Allison, but she was trying to avenge her brother." He sighed. "The rest of them – you included – are just... not even worth it."

-o-o-o-o-o-

Isaac opened his eyes and stared into the ceiling. He could hear sniffling from somewhere, and also the sharp clang of metal against metal. He didn't know where he was and turned his head to look at the surroundings. Dr Deaton was busy cleaning blood off of Derek's chest. Stiles was standing next to them holding Derek's hand. Isaac realized that someone had brought him to the vet, and for some reason he found it hysterically funny.

When he started to laugh, someone grabbed his hand. He turned and stared at Lydia sitting on the floor next to him. Behind her – leaning on the wall – Allison and Scott were holding on to each other. Tears were running down Allison's face, and Isaac wondered if anyone had died.

He managed to control the laughter when he realized that nobody else joined in. He felt a dull pain in his shoulder, but it was fading. Slowly Isaac sat up and looked down on himself. He was covered in blood and he was sitting in a small pool of it.

"What happened? Where's the others? Uh, Alex?" He worried a little about the answer, but as far as he could remember, Alex was alive and well when they left. "Alex had to help Chris, we're expecting them shortly." Scott answered as he got up trying to pull Allison with. He didn't look too crisp either. His shirt was ripped open and his abdomen was covered in coagulated blood.

Derek jumped down from the table he'd been sitting on, and grabbed the towel the doctor handed him. "Thanks, but does anyone know what happened?" He repeated Isaac's question and looked around. "I'm sorry, I was too busy dying to know."

Isaac stared at him wide-eyed. "You don't even know? Uh..." He suddenly remembered Derek lying on the ground next to Hester. After that his memory was kind of blurry, but he did recollect Allison helping him to the car. Allison sniffled a little before she took a step forward. "I, I screwed up, I almost got you killed. I'm so sorry." She slumped her head down and Isaac could see that her whole body trembled. "Well, we didn't. Can you share. I only remember that Hester fell to the ground." Derek shifted his gaze between Scott and Allison. "Come on!"

Allison reached out and picked a couple of tissues from a box on the shelf next to her. She wiped her eyes and blew her nose before she huffed audibly. "I shot her. I killed her. Revenge is not as sweet as I thought it would be." She was about to continue when Derek stepped towards her and grabbed her shoulders. "Did you kill her with the arrow?" When Allison shook her head, Derek stared into her eyes. "How?"

Allison started crying again when she explained how she tore Hester's throat to shreds. A shiver went through Derek before he dug his claws into her shoulders. Allison cried out in pain and bared her teeth. "What are you doing?" She tried to come loose, but Derek kept the pressure until Allison was about to wolf out. She reached out for Derek with her claws exposed, and Isaac could see that her eyes turned bright red.

Stiles hitched his breath, and Isaac knew that he'd seen it too. Lydia and Scott were standing behind Allison and couldn't possibly notice. Scott was about to rush over to defend her, when Derek suddenly let go. "I'm sorry. I just needed to know." He managed to avoid her claws by taking a couple of steps back. "You are an Alpha now."


	57. Chapter 57

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex and Chris get rid of Jade and Troy before they head back to Beacon Hills. Eric has a small existential crises. Allison and her dad talk about her new status but she's unwilling to see that it will change anything. Isaac and Alex decides to take their time getting home. Derek end Stiles finally get some alone-time. They use it well.

"We have to get rid of the couple in the trunk first." Chris had avoided the highway because he wasn't sure if he could get Isaac's old car up to speed. He'd had to crisscross the countryside on poorly paved roads, but Alex was pretty sure that they were going south. He hadn't dared to ask anymore about Chris' intentions.

Troy had made some noise to begin with, as they left the abandoned baseball field, but for the last fifteen minutes it had been quiet back there. Alex had a bad feeling about all this, and was pondering about how he could overpower Chris if the guy decided to kill their prisoners.

When they hit a road that went straight east, he started to suspect what their destination was. Another ten minutes later, Chris pulled over and parked the car on the shoulder of the road. "I guess they can walk from here." He got out and gestured for Alex to get out too.

"I'm not sure that leaving them alive is the best option, but killing them now will feel more like target practice." He knocked on the trunk and listened for a response. Troy and Jade kept quiet. "I'm going to let you out now." Chris gave the trunk another knock. "I'll let you out, but you have to promise to walk away."

It took a few moments before they heard Troy's voice. "Okay, we'll do that." Chris looked at Alex and seemed to measure him, before he reached inside his jacket and pulled a small gun out. "I'm gonna choose to trust you." He handed Alex the gun and pointed to the car. "If they try anything funny, you have to shoot." Chris held the rifle in one hand aiming it at the trunk as he stuck the key in the lock. He hesitated for a second before he turned it and flung the lid open.

He grabbed the rifle with both hands and jumped back. Troy was the first one to get out. He looked at Alex and Chris before he reached in to help Jade on her feet. "Where are we? Where do we go?"

Chris used the rifle to point down the road. "It's about a half hour walk to your house. I suggest that you go there and stay there. If I see any one of you ever again, I'll kill you." He moved his aim to point directly at Troy's head. Troy shrugged and grabbed Jade's hand. The wound in her forehead was almost gone, but she still looked utterly confused, as if she'd just woken up from a coma.

"Hester?" She said with a weak voice. "Is she... uh..." She lifted her hand slowly and scratched the back of her head. Her hand came down again and she stared at it. A chunk of hair caked in with blood was lying in her palm. "I guess I'm injured."

Alex was still aiming the gun at his former family members even though he was pretty sure they wouldn't attack. "Hester is dead. I'm sorry. It was never in our plans." Alex noticed that Chris sneered at him, but he didn't care. "Please stay away. I don't want to see you dead, but I'm with them now, and I can not save you again."

Troy pulled on Jade's hand, but she didn't move. She looked at Alex again. "Where is her body? Can we have her body?" Alex didn't know how to respond. He threw a glance at Chris to see his reaction. Chris shook his head. "No, she is buried. Maybe we'll reveal her location later, but not now."

Jade sighed and slumped her head down. "Okay. Later. Okay."

Alex wondered why Chris was lying, but he chose not to say anything. He didn't trust the hunter not to turn on him if he made a wrong move. "Just leave. I'm sorry."

-o-o-o-o-o-

Everybody in the clinic had frozen in their positions staring at Allison. Dr Deaton had been busy putting away the defibrillator, but stopped short when he heard Derek's words. Lydia had covered her mouth with her hand and seemed to be holding her breath. Scott had his jaw on his chest, but it looked like he was fighting not to laugh.

Allison herself stared at Derek with a deadpan expression on her face. Stiles knew perfectly well what had happened. By killing Hester with her bare hands, Allison had acquired the woman's Alpha status.

It felt like the silence in there lasted for forever, but Stiles knew that only a few seconds had passed before Deaton – as the first one – opened his mouth. "So you are a werewolf?" He nodded, mostly to himself. Allison turned to him slowly as she still kept Derek in view. "I am, but..." She shook her head. "I didn't plan this."

Scott cracked. He started laughing and flung his arms around Allison. "This is good. This is a good thing. You can have your own pack now." He panned the room before he rested his gaze on Derek. "She doesn't have to join you. She's not an Omega anymore."

Allison shook herself loose from Scott's embrace. "I don't want another pack. I just want to hang with my friends. I'm not going to turn anybody into a werewolf to better my position."

Derek cocked his head and stared at her. "You are a born leader. You should have your own pack."

-o-o-o-o-o-

Eric didn't know what to do. If it was true that Hester was dead, Jade would be the leader of the pack. He felt kind of lost. Even if Hester had been cruel and violent, she'd still been the only one in this pack he could truly rely on after Alex left.

The fact that he'd been fucking Jade on a semi regular basis would not count. He'd be tossed aside in a heartbeat when Jade finally could get her hands on Troy. Joy had always treated him well, but she'd never really spent time getting to know him.

Joy had shared the information she had about what went down, but she really didn't know if Troy and Jade had survived. "Troy got mauled and Jade was shot. I ran." She'd been crying ever since she crashed through the door, but she'd kept it down somewhat. Now she sank to the floor again, covering her face with her hands. "It should have been me. I just left them, how can I ever forgive myself."

Eric had to listen to her sobbing and whining for a good ten minutes before she wiped her eyes and looked up at him. "Eric! Tell me what to do!" Eric crouched down and grabbed her hand. "We can try to call them. I'll try to call them." He let go of her and reached for his phone. Joy watched him, but didn't try to stop him.

He dialed hoping to get an answer, and when Troy replied after only one ring, Eric sighed in relief. "Eric, Eric! Come get us. We're on our way home, but Jade is... is. Oh, just come." Eric smiled down at Joy before he addressed Troy. "Where are you? I'm coming, but you have to give me your location."

Joy got up from the floor and darted towards the door. "They're probably at the field. Let's go." Eric listened to what Troy had to say before he turned to and shook his head. "They're down the road. They're only about a mile away."

-o-o-o-o-o-

"At the clinic. Deaton is here." Chris looked at the text from Allison before he concentrated on the road again. It was sent more than a half hour ago, but he hadn't had time to check the phone until now. He didn't know if all of the boys had survived, but the short text was promising. Chris was pretty sure Allison would have mentioned it if any of them hadn't made it.

"Excuse me, Sir, but did you get any information about them?" Alex nervously twisted his hands and stared at the phone. Chris shook his head and handed it to Alex. "No, not much. You can read it." Chris didn't want Alex to know where he was going to dispose Hester's body, and had decided to drop him off as soon as possible. "I'm taking you back." He nodded towards the phone. "Find out if they're still there. I'm taking you to them."

Isaac's car was just a pile of junk, and he'd decided to switch as soon as he was back in Beacon Hills. "How can he drive this thing. Fuck." He almost lost it when he had to struggle to get it to third gear. Alex jumped in his seat and dropped the phone on the floor. Chris had to chuckle. The guy was acting the same way as he had when they brought him to Derek's loft. Curled up in the corner, throwing fearful glances at everybody, he'd resembled an abused dog.

"Get it together. As far as I'm concerned you're in Derek's pack. I'm not hunting Derek's pack." Chris shook his head. If Alex wanted to, he could wolf out and attack and there was nothing Chris could do about it. There were no reason for the guy to be so scared and intimidated at the moment. "What kind of werewolf are you?"

Alex had finally managed to send a text. He put the phone on his lap and looked down, seemingly embarrassed. "I, I have never been in a fight before. Not like this." He twisted his hands. "I never... It was all a joke to me before. I knew I could heal, so I felt invincible."

Chris remembered when they had Alex tied up in the basement. He hadn't even flinched when they tried to torture him. They later learned that he'd been subject to much more severe abuse on a regular basis in Hester's house, but back then they didn't know.

When Alex turned into a sobbing mess on the floor, back when they freed Derek, Chris had thought it was just a con. He'd been pissed off when he realized that Isaac was falling for it and decided to save the guy.

After a couple of weeks with Derek, he'd changed. He'd dared to show his true self and seemed to slide into the pack as a natural. "And now. Why are you scared of me?" Chris looked over at Alex. "You could kill me before I get a chance to defend myself."

Alex emitted a humorless chuckle. "I'm not a killer, but you are. You're a killer and you're cruel. You have no empathy, and it worries me." He sighed heavily. "I'm sorry, Sir." Chris scoffed but he didn't say anything. Alex was speaking the truth, and there was no need to comment on it at all.

A ping from the phone startled them both, and Alex hurried to pick it up. "Still here, see you soon." Alex read it out loud, before he handed the phone back to Chris. "I just want to live in peace. I can't handle all this brutality."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

When Allison got a text telling them that Chris and Alex were on their way, Isaac stepped outside to wait for them. He didn't really care about Allison's new status, although it could possibly change the dynamic of their pack.

The others were helping Dr Deaton to clean up. Isaac knew he should have participated, but it was way too crowded in there and he knew he wouldn't be missed. The only thing he wanted right now was to see Alex again, and nobody was going to get in his way.

Ten minutes later, Derek and Stiles came outside too. They seemed surprised when they saw him. "We're going back to the loft. Are you coming?" Stiles probably asked just to be polite; the look he sent Derek told Isaac that he'd prefer to be alone with his boyfriend. Isaac shook his head. "No, I'm gonna wait for Alex, just go." Stiles didn't hide the fact that the answer pleased him and Isaac couldn't help himself. "I'll give you guys an hour. Hurry up."

Derek chuckled a little as he got into the Jeep. "An hour? Let's make it two, okay?" He threw a peek at Stiles. "We have some catching up to do." Stiles climbed into the Jeep too and Isaac had to jump out of the way when he backed up to get out of there. Stiles leaned out the window as he passed Isaac again. "Thanks, we owe you."

Seconds later Isaac could hear the sound of his own car, and soon he could see it too. Chris hadn't even parked before Alex jumped out and ran over to him. "You made it. I didn't know if you were still alive." Isaac felt a tear running down his cheek as he wrapped his arms around Alex and squeezed him tight.

"Can we go home now?" Alex nuzzled his face into the crook of Isaac's neck. Isaac stroke his hair. "No. I'm sorry, I promised Derek and Stiles a little privacy." Isaac had no idea what to do or where to go. "We'll have to find somewhere else to go."

After making sure his jacket covered his bloodstained shirt, Isaac gestured for Alex to put on the plaid button-down he'd tied around his waist. "You're T-shirt is missing a sleeve, how'd that happen?"

Alex looked at it an shrugged. "I used it as a tissue."

-o-o-o-o-o-

"Alone at last." Derek shoved Stiles up against the wall as soon as they came inside. "You can make as much noise as you want." He leaned in and let their lips meet. With his mouth roaming over Stiles' face and neck, he pushed his pelvis forward.

Stiles got a little surprised by the urgency. They had two hours, so there were really no need to rush it. He ran his hands up Derek's back under the T-shirt. "We have time. Let's go to the bedroom." Derek didn't let go. He tried his best to rid Stiles of the button-down as he kept kissing him. "No. I want you right now, right here."

It was actually quite exciting. It had been a while since Derek had been this forceful. Stiles leaned his head back to give Derek better access to his neck. Derek eased his hand in between them and started to unbuckle his belt. Stiles wanted to get his own pants off, because his cock was so hard that it was kind of uncomfortable. When he moved his hand to unbutton them, Derek pushed it away. "No, no, no. I'll do it." He'd got his own pants open, and Stiles could feel the head of Derek's cock pressing against his stomach.

Derek rubbed his hand over Stiles' hard-on before he went for the button. He seemed to struggle a little with it, making Stiles somewhat impatient. "Let me..." He didn't get a chance to finish. Derek pulled hard, causing the button to fly off. With another tug, he managed to ruin the zipper also. "Sorry." Derek nibbled a little on Stiles' collarbone as he tried to push the pants down.

Stiles was so ready to be fucked now. This was extremely arousing. Again, he tried to help Derek with his pants, and again his hand got pushed away. "It's ruined already." Derek pushed his pelvis forward a little and sneered. Stiles heard the sound of tearing fabric when his pants and underwear got ripped to shreds.

It seemed like Derek was on a roll, because as soon as the remnants of the jeans hit the floor, he grabbed onto the front of Stiles' T-shirt. It got the same treatment. Stiles whimpered a little when Derek's claws accidentally scratched the skin in the process. Derek bent down a little and kissed the wounds. "Sorry, sorry. I got a little carried away."

Stiles didn't know if he should worry. If Derek was losing control, this could end up pretty bad. He didn't get a chance to ponder on it before Derek lifted him off the floor and carried him to the kitchen counter. Then he reached his hand out for the hand-cream by the sink.

Derek let go of Stiles for a moment as he pushed his own pants down. He squirted a decent amount of cream onto his fingers before he reached between Stiles' thighs and pushed a finger inside his asshole. Stiles trembled from the sensation. No time was wasted. Another finger was inserted and Derek twisted them around.

Stiles groaned. They wouldn't need two hours. With the pace Derek set for this, it would be over shortly. "Oh, God Derek. Let me feel you inside me." He didn't recognize his own voice. He sounded desperate.

The fingers disappeared and Stiles got lifted off the floor again. He wrapped his legs around Derek's waist. Derek held him with one hand and used the other to guide his cock towards the entrance. This position was new to them both, and they struggled a little before they managed to synchronize their movements.

It would probably not be their new favorite position either. Stiles was bouncing up and down as Derek fucked him standing in the middle of the floor. It had to be tiring even for a werewolf. Stiles clung to him for dear life. With every stroke, his own cock rubbed against Derek's stomach, but it wasn't quite enough friction for his taste.

Suddenly Derek slowed down the pace almost to a halt, and moved so Stiles had his back against the wall. In this position Derek had a little more control and thrust into Stiles ass with force. Stiles dared to let go of Derek's shoulder and tried to reach his own cock. He was sure it wouldn't last long before he'd cum. "I'm gonna...oh, come on. Harder." He practically screamed into Derek's ear.

Derek did not comply. Instead, he pulled out and pushed Stiles' legs down. "Come on." He dragged him towards the couch while he pushed his own pants all the way down and stepped out of them. Then he let himself fall backwards on the couch. Stiles landed on top of him. Derek obviously wanted him to ride him. He moved to straddle him, but Derek shook his head. "No. Your turn."

It was probably the surprise that prevented Stiles to cum that very second. Derek spread his legs and gestured for Stiles to get in between. "I know you want it. Fuck me." He was still holding the cream, and now he handed it to Stiles. "You can't really hurt me, but a little lubrication makes it easier."

With trembling hands, Stiles opened the bottle. He smeared some on his fingers before he reached down to touch Derek's asshole. Derek shook his head vigorously. "No, no prep, just give it to me." Stiles looked at his hand covered in cream. He grabbed his own cock and coated it generously before he leaned in.

He didn't know how much force he could use. He pushed forward to no avail and wondered if Derek had been a little too cocky when he refused to get prepped. Derek seemed somewhat tense, but then he drew his breath and managed to relax. Stiles could feel a little give down there, and decided to just go for it. He grabbed onto Derek's hips and forced the head of his cock inside. Derek heaved and tensed up again. The squeeze on his cock was insane, and Stiles wasn't sure if he could go any further.

He didn't get time to think so much. Derek wrapped his legs around him and pushed on his ass. Stiles cock slid further in and he could feel his balls tighten when he was about to cum. Pure willpower prevented it, but it couldn't last forever.

With his cock buried inside Derek's ass, Stiles had to take a moment. He leaned over and kissed Derek's cheek. "Oh, God, I love you." His voice was trembling as he did his best to calm down. As soon as he felt somewhat in control he pulled out a little before he pushed forward again.

"Pick up, uh, the pace." Derek grabbed his own cock and started to tug on it. "Come on, you've been waiting for this moment." Slowly but surely Stiles started to move back and forth. Fucking Derek was almost surreal. Having the guy squirming under him, he felt more in control than ever.

Soon, Stiles got a heavy rhythm going as he thrust into Derek with willful determination. He managed to fight against the orgasm, although he knew it was a losing battle. It would eventually be impossible to hold back. When the orgasm rolled over him, he kept pumping into Derek's ass to make sure that not a drop was spilled. He was about to collapse when he felt Derek's cum hit his chest.

For several seconds Stiles was just lying there on top of Derek. He'd managed to pull his dick out, but other than that he was unable to move. Derek wrapped his arms around him and kissed his earlobe. "Good. That was good." They clung to each other and Stiles had to wipe his eyes. "It was, oh God...It was."


	58. Chapter 58

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex and Isaac decides to walk home to give Derek and Stiles some time alone. Wondering what to do to pass the time, something surprising comes up. Allison and Chris are having a serious conversation about Allison's status and how to deal with it. In the loft Stiles is in for an even bigger surprise. Not sure if he can handle it, he gives it a try. Very, very smutty Sterek moment.

As soon as he'd parked the car, Chris started to maneuver Hester's body out of the backseat. Isaac was about to run over to help, but Alex held him back. "Don't. Don't bother." They watched as Chris carried her to his own car and placed her in the back.

Seconds later Scott, Allison, and Lydia emerged. They were obviously done cleaning up the clinic. Chris wanted Allison to come with him and he made it pretty clear that he didn't want anyone else in his car.

Scott didn't seem particularly happy about it, but he didn't say anything. Lydia was a little more verbal and cursed out Stiles for leaving her. "He brought me here, he should have taken me home." She was the one living furthest away, and she was not prepared for the walk home.

Isaac stepped up and pointed to his car. "You can take my car, we can walk." He gave Lydia a crocked smile. "It's not the best ride, but..." Lydia didn't hesitate for a second. "You sure? I really appreciate it." She turned to Scott. "I can take you home too."

Alex didn't really care if he had to walk to the loft. Isaac had promised Derek and Stiles a couple of hours of alone-time, and Alex agreed that they deserved it. Anyway, walking through the streets of Beacon Hills with Isaac would give them a chance to talk. I would give them a chance to just be together without thinking about sex. Alex had to chuckle to himself. He knew he'd still think about it.

When Isaac grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the street, it excited him in a different way. Alex hadn't walked the streets at night since before Hester took him home. Beacon Hills was not like the big city, but doing this gave him a feeling of freedom that he hadn't felt for what seemed like ages.

The hardship of living on the streets didn't make much room for fantasies. The freedom had been tainted with the everyday struggles to get a meal and – later on – a fix. Ever so often he had managed to detach himself from it all, and pretend that he was just a normal boy who'd skipped school for a day. He imagined having a real home and a loving family waiting for him with dinner ready.

He squeezed Isaac's hand as they walked away from the clinic. He was so in love with this guy that it was almost scary. He had a feeling that it was mutual, but he didn't really know for sure. All the disappointments he'd experienced in his life, made it hard to really believe.

-o-o-o-o-

"I don't know how I feel about this, but Derek is right. You are a born leader." Her dad was concentrating on the driving and didn't look at her. Allison had just told him about what happened in the clinic, and she'd expected him to freak out a little, but he'd just nodded as if he knew already.

As hunters they were well educated about the werewolf universe, and Allison remembered being told about the Alphas and how they could become one. These teachings happened years ago, and she had totally forgot about it. When she killed Hester it had not been on her mind at all.

Allison knew that her dad was scared of her. She hadn't told him about her anchor, and that she felt totally in control of herself. For the time being, she didn't leave the house without dabbing a little perfume on her wrists, but at home she'd mnaged to control herself fine without it.

"Dad, I really don't need a pack. I don't think I want to be a leader." She shrugged as she drew her breath. "I have no interest in challenging Derek. I think he's doing alright." Allison got startled when Chris burst into laughter. It took a few moments for him to compose himself.

"Derek sucks as a leader. He was never meant to be one." He shook his head before he threw a quick peek at his daughter. "The Hale family always had a female pack-leader. For generations back, the Alpha status has been transferred to the strongest woman in the household."

Allison stared at her dad. She wasn't quite sure what he was thinking, but she didn't see herself stepping into the role as leader of Derek's pack. Chris continued. "Peter could possibly have pulled it off, he wasn't such a screw-up, but Derek... He acquired it by mistake."

Chris parked the car and gestured for Allison to get out. "We have to make sure nobody can find her body." He went to the back of the SUV and lifted Hester's lifeless body out. Allison knew that he had this place, but her dad had never taken her there before.

"Dad, I..." She followed him and watched him place the body in a pit surrounded by rocks. "Does it matter? As long as we can live in peace, it shouldn't matter." Chris had gathered some dry leaves and twigs. He stuffed it around the dead body before he doused it all with kerosine. He shook the can. "Need to get some more for next time."

After putting the empty can in the back of the car, he lit a match and threw it into the pit. It almost exploded into flames and Allison had to take a step back.

"Allison, listen to me. You don't have to do anything. Derek will lose his status. It's inevitable." He sat down on a rock staring into the fire. "Without a strong leader a pack can go rogue. We don't want that."

Allison had to chuckle a little. "Rogue? Alex, Isaac... yeah right." She smiled to her dad and shook her head. Chris did not share the laugh. "It's in their blood, in your blood. Werewolves need a strong hand. An omega is worthless without it, and it will eventually make them crack. A strong pack in Beacon Hills is what we need to keep the peace."

He went silent for a few minutes. Allison thought about what he'd said and knew it was true. She sighed heavily. "I'm not the one. I can't be the one." She knew that Derek had made a few mistakes, but with proper guidance he could improve.

Chris turned and looked at her. "Maybe not, but you know I'm speaking the truth. The Hale-family lived in peace for generations. Hunters stuck to the code and let them be, because they were no threat." He huffed and shook his head. "They helped keep Beacon Hills a safe place until Kate screwed it up. She disregarded the code and exposed every werewolf and every human in town to violence and death."

Allison nodded to herself. "I guess it makes sense. What you're saying is that the Alpha-pack wouldn't have come if the Hales had still been here?"

Chris got up and poked into the fire with a stick. "Exactly!"

-o-o-o-o-o-

Isaac soon realized that he hadn't thought this through properly. They had been walking hand in hand for about fifteen minutes when they eventually hit the main strip. Up to this point they hadn't met anybody, but now they could see a lot of people hanging outside the clubs and restaurants.

He'd been cocky and bold around his best friends when he and Alex revealed that they had a thing, but he wasn't sure if he was ready to come out completely. Alex obviously noticed his hesitation to move on. He stopped and looked up at Isaac. "What's the matter? Is there someone over there you don't want to meet?"

Isaac didn't know how honest he should be. He was a little embarrassed with himself. "Uh, I, oh fuck." He decided to let Alex in on his insecurities. "Well, yeah, like all of them. I'm so sorry, but I don't feel ready for a total disclosure of our relationship."

Alex pulled him back to the street they came from and wrapped his arms around Isaac's waist. "It's okay. One little kiss now, and then we can casually walk by without anyone having to know anything." Isaac had to chuckle a little. Alex took this amazingly well. "Sure." He leaned in and kissed him passionately.

"Isaac? It's you. Wow, haven't seen you in like forever." Isaac froze up when he heard the familiar voice. He hadn't seen Danny or any other of his teammates since school was out, and he hadn't really missed them. "Smooching in the alleys, are you? Who's your girlfriend?"

Isaac tuned around slowly as he tried to keep Alex behind him. "Uh. Hi. I, uh. How are you doing. I'm really in a hurry and I... We have to be somewhere." He hoped Danny would just move on. Suddenly the guy started laughing and Isaac instantly knew why. Alex had not stayed put. He'd of course emerged from behind him.

"Interesting." Danny nodded in approval. "Not a girlfriend then. I'm sorry." He was clearly addressing Alex. Alex chuckled a little and shook his head. "Don't worry about it. You're not the first one to make that mistake." He looked up at Isaac and smiled.

Isaac didn't know if Danny really saw what happened or if he just assumed, but he was about to do some damage control when his friend spoke again. "I'm guessing that you didn't take him for a girl. I didn't know we were on the same team." He stepped forward. "I'm Danny, by the way." He reached his hand out to Alex. Alex took it. "My name is Alex, nice to meet you."

The situation was slightly awkward, and it didn't get any better when Danny gave Alex a once over and nodded approvingly. "I'm on my way to the club, to 'Jungle'. You guys want to join me?" Isaac was about to decline the invitation, when Alex tapped his shoulder. "Yeah. Can we? I've never been to a club before."

Isaac didn't want to say no to Alex. He couldn't say no to Alex. He leaned over and whispered: "It's a gay club. I don't know..." Danny obviously overheard him. "Come on. Your friend here seems eager."

There was no way around it. Isaac had to stand his ground. "Boyfriend. My boyfriend." He didn't want Danny to get any ideas, he wanted to make it perfectly clear that Alex was taken, even if it meant outing himself completely. Danny just shrugged and repeated the question. Isaac looked at Alex' pleading eyes and had to cave in. "We could check it out, but only for a little bit."

-o-o-o-o-o-

Stiles was leaning on the wall in the shower, trying to concentrate on rinsing the shampoo out of his hair. It wasn't so easy when Derek's mouth was roaming over his skin. They'd hit the shower as soon as they caught their breaths after the fuck on the couch, and the water was starting to get cold now. After soaping each other up and thoroughly clean their privates, Derek had started fondling and kissing him. It didn't surprise Stiles that his cock was ready for a second round already. Derek poked at his asshole with a finger while he massaged his balls with the other hand.

Well, if Isaac stuck to his promise, it would still take a while before he and Alex were back, and Derek seemed to be determined to make the most of it. Stiles was not going to complain. The treatment he was subject to at the moment was threatening to take his breath away.

After cumming into Derek's ass less than twenty minutes ago, Stiles knew he could indulge himself in this for a long time without worrying about a too early release. When Derek wrapped his lips around his cock, he wasn't so sure anymore, but it took only a second to adjust and enjoy it.

Stiles looked down and watched Derek work on his penis. Every time the head disappeared into Derek's mouth, Stiles felt the urge to push forward, but he didn't dare. Not that he was afraid of the repercussions, but he worried about throwing Derek off task. Being sucked off like this was just divine, and he didn't want to rush it.

It was of course that thing about Derek's need to be in control. Stiles wanted to let him think that he was. It suited him fine when Derek was running the show and decided on the pace. He gasped when Derek pushed his finger all the way into his ass and prodded at his prostate. His boyfriend was playing a dangerous game if he wanted to keep this up until Isaac and Alex came back.

As if he'd read his mind, Derek looked up and grinned. "Don't worry, we're gonna make this an hour of pleasure and pain before I'll let you cum again." He gave Stiles' ass a hard smack before he got up to his feet and kissed him violently. "I think we're done here, rinse off."

Derek wrapped Stiles in a towel and carried him to the bedroom where he dumped him on the bed. He dug a bottle of lube out of the drawer before he got into bed too. After squirting out a generous amount, he continued what he'd been doing in the shower. Stiles relaxed into the mattress and let his mind drift. He knew that Derek would tell him if he wanted any action from him so he didn't bother to ponder over what was entailed. A couple of fingers fucking his ass while Derek's mouth was working his cock was quite enough at the moment.

While keeping up the action down there, Derek lifted Stiles' legs and pushed them towards his chest. He let go of the cock for a moment. "Grab on, I want to see your see your asshole exposed." Stiles obliged and pressed his knees towards his armpits. He felt a little vulnerable in this position, and it wasn't the most comfortable, but he trusted Derek completely so it wasn't really a problem.

He felt Derek's tongue run down the shaft of his penis and over his balls before it came to rest on the pucker. He'd been rimmed before, but not more that a couple of gentle laps. He knew he was completely clean, because Derek had demanded a full cleansing when they entered the shower.

Derek still had his fingers inside and now, he spread them to let his tongue enter between them. Stiles moaned in pleasure. As he licked in and around the hole, Derek slowly pulled his fingers out. He kept them spread out as he did this, stretching the muscle more and more. Stiles felt that he was about to rip apart, but Derek went so slow that it was surprisingly painless.

When his fingertips reached the rim, Derek pushed his fingers back in. His tongue was still working the hole and his other hand was playing with Stiles' cock. Stiles was less than alert now. He moaned and groaned loudly knowing that nobody could hear him. It felt so good to let loose that he couldn't understand how he'd have managed to keep so quiet lately.

Derek quickly inserted another finger and seconds later, Stiles could feel that he tried to get his pinky in there too. Stiles' eyes rolled back in his head and he cried out, as the stretch on the muscle became a little too much to handle. Derek gave up on the pinky and pulled out a little.

Stiles could barely hold the position anymore and started to loosen the grip around his knees. Derek looked up and frowned a little, but then he nodded and moved away to let Stiles stretch his legs. "Cramps?" Derek smiled and started to massage one of his thighs. Three of his fingers were still inside Stiles' ass, and as he kneaded the thigh, pushing it to the side, Derek spread his fingers out a little, as he at the same time kept lapping at Stiles' cock.

At this moment Stiles was so ready to be fucked. He knew he was prepped enough for Derek's dick and couldn't understand why he kept at it. Not that Stiles minded so much. He got a little bit of action both front and back and didn't really feel that he had any reason to complain.

When Derek suddenly pulled his fingers out, Stiles expected to feel his cock inside him shortly but instead, the guy moved out of bed. Stiles looked up in surprise, and saw that Derek reached under the bed for something.

What he presented when he got up again gave Stiles shivers down his spine. It was a dildo and it was huge. Stiles swallowed hard and stared at the thing. So that's why Derek was trying to stretch him beyond his limits.

Derek crawled into bed again and kissed Stiles' forehead. "Don't worry. It'll be okay." Stiles did not feel confident about that, but he decided to wait and see what happened. Derek placed the dildo on Stiles stomach, before he reached down and fingered him a little.

Stiles moved his hand to wrap his fingers around the thing. It wasn't so huge after all, but it was still a couple of sizes bigger than he'd gotten used to. "Do you want it?" Derek whispered into his ear as he started to fuck him with three fingers. The pain he'd felt before when those same fingers were buried inside him wasn't even mentionable now.

"Uh, I..." Stiles drew his breath tremulously while he stroke the big cock-like thing. It was smooth to the touch and to his own surprise, he discovered that he wanted it. He wanted to tell Derek, but the only thing that came out of his mouth was a loud groan when Derek again had his lips wrapped around his cock.

He closed his eyes and waited for Derek to ask again, but the only sound he could hear – except for his own labored breathing – was the little pop as Derek opened the lube bottle. He figured that Derek had taken his lack of words for a yes, and when the dildo got removed from his stomach he knew what was coming.

Stiles bent his knees and put his feet flat on the surface of the bed, then he spread his thighs as far as he could. Derek kept kissing and lapping at his dick while he coated the thing with lube. Soon after, Stiles could feel the rubber cock at the entrance. Pain wasn't an issue anymore. Stiles wanted to take it. He whimpered a little as it started slip inside, and Derek paused for a second. "No." Stiles hitched out. "Don't... stop."

Ever so slowly the dildo got pushed further and further in. Stiles could barely breathe, and he wasn't sure if he was fully conscious the whole time. The fact that Derek was sucking and tugging on his dick didn't make it any easier to stay alert.

He didn't know if the thing was fully inside or if Derek stopped for any other reason, but Stiles was kind of happy about the leeway. It didn't last long. Derek pulled it out a little before he slammed it back in, making Stiles scream out in pain. Derek peppered his tummy with kisses and whispered apologies against the skin, before started to fuck Stiles with the dildo, using slower movements.

Stiles was so close to an orgasm now, but he wanted it to last just a little bit longer. Derek's lips around his cock and his hand massaging his balls, felt so good. The big dick up his ass as he got sucked off made it really hard to hold back, but he managed for a while.

Derek kept the action on his dick going, but then he suddenly let go of the dildo. Stiles heard a little click and the world exploded. When the thing started to vibrate inside him, pressing against his prostate, he came so fast that he didn't have time to warn Derek.

Derek hurried to pull away but his mouth was already filled with cum. He spit most of it out before he grabbed the dildo and turned it off. He pulled it out and got to his knees between Stiles' legs before he stared to jerk himself off. It took only seconds before he began panting heavily and soon he cummed violently, squirting white strings over Stiles' torso.

Stiles had never felt so fucked before. He could still feel the pain down there, but it was worth it. Derek had promised his pleasure and pain, and he'd definitely delivered. "Derek." His own voice was husky. Derek had collapsed next to him, but now he lifted himself up on one elbow to look at Stiles. Stiles hitched his breath. "Uh, Derek, I... I think I need another shower."


	59. Chapter 59

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hester's 'family' are having a small crises. Troy wants revenge, but none of the others agrees with him at the moment. Isaac and Alex are at 'Jungle' where Isaac feels very much out of his comfort zone. It doesn't get any better when they get solicited by another guest. Derek shares a secret, and Stiles' reaction makes him a little angry and embarrassed. Melissa wants to know what happened on the field, and Scott gives her a slightly edited story. It's clear that she doesn't believe him. In the restroom at the club, Isaac and Alex have and encounter that leads to a surprising climax.

They were all waiting for Jade to make a decision, but she didn't seem quite up to it yet. She was sitting on the couch, staring into the air with a confounded expression on her face. The wound she'd suffered when she got shot was completely healed and her sister was doing her best to clean her up.

Troy was pacing back and forth with his fists clenched. He'd angrily explained what happened after Joy took off, and he kept staring at her as if it all was her fault. Eric knew that wasn't the case. Maybe Joy should have stayed and tried to help them, but in Eric's opinion it wouldn't have changed much.

He was reasonably sure that it was Hester's own stupidity that had led to this. He'd known Hester as a smart woman, and this wild crusade hadn't fit her personality. The love and affection Eric had felt for her since he first met her didn't prevent him from seeing her flaws.

It saddened him that she was dead; she had taken care of him in her twisted way, and he wondered what would happen to him now.

"Maybe we should just go to bed." Joy was addressing her sister, but didn't get much of a reply. Jade looked at her and smiled, before she sighed heavily and closed her eyes. Joy seemed to be on the brink of crying, she nudged her sister gently and repeated the question, but this time she didn't react at all.

"We should go there and kill them all." Troy had stopped pacing. His scars were still visible through the ripped shirt, but they didn't seem to bother him anymore. "And how are we going to do that?" Eric could understand how Troy felt, but the four of them wouldn't stand a chance against this pack.

Jade had clearly suffered minor brain damage from the shot. Joy was a sobbing mess, and he himself had never been in a fight in his life. "We're defeated, can't you see that. Nothing we can do will bring her back. We need to pick up the pieces and move on."

Before he knew it, Eric had Troy's hands around his neck. "And let them win?" He squeezed harder, making it a little difficult to breathe. "They won already." Eric croaked out as he tried to remove Troy's hands.

"He is right. Let him go." Joy's voice was trembling, but it had a demanding tone to it. Troy lifted Eric off the floor and threw him to the ground. "As you wish, but this is not over. Jade will come around and demand revenge."

Eric could hear his wrist snap as he hit the floor, but he managed to avoid crying out in pain. It would heal shortly. He got up and scooted towards the door. He'd always hated Troy, but he'd never laid hands on him before. 'This is not over,' he thought to himself as he exited the room.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Alex seemed to be in awe from the moment they stepped inside the club. The music was pumping out of the speakers hitting them full force. Flashing lights revealed a dance-floor almost entirely occupied by young men. Isaac felt slightly out of his comfort zone and dragged Alex with him to a less crowded area near the bar.

A bartender looked at them an cocked his brows. Alex smiled at him before he turned to Isaac. "Do we have any money? Can we get a drink?" Isaac had a few bills in his pocket, but he didn't know how much. He dug them out and started counting them as the bartender placed a drink on the counter in front of Alex.

"Wait, I don't know if I have enough." Isaac yelled it out over the loud music. The bartender just shrugged and pointed at a tall handsome guy at the far end. "He's paying." Isaac stared as the man lifted his own glass and sent a wink their way. Alex himself didn't seem bothered and mouthed a 'thank you' to the guy before he took a small sip.

Isaac had felt less than comfortable about this already, but now he almost freaked out. "You can't take it. He may want something in return" He tried to push the drink away, but Alex held on to it. "Nah, I didn't ask for it, he just gave it to me. I don't have to give him anything." Alex took another sip before he handed the glass to Isaac. "Try it! It's good."

This was not right. For Isaac it felt almost like stealing. He shook his head. "I can't, people just don't buy you things, drinks, for no reason." He wanted to wrap his arms around Alex and was ready fend of anybody who came too close.

Alex stretched his neck and kissed Isaac on the cheek. "Many times." He chuckled a little. "Take what you're given and enjoy it." He took a step closer and kissed Isaac again. This time on the mouth. Then he turned to the guy who'd bought the drink and smiled, before he lifted the glass to his lips. Isaac watched as the man nodded and gave them a lopsided smile.

"See, no problem." Alex finished off the drink and turned to the dance floor. "Come on." He tugged on Isaac's arm and pulled him towards the moving crowd. Dancing was not one of Isaac's favorite pastimes, and he didn't want to embarrass himself. He tried to hold Alex back, but it was futile. He managed to come loose from his grip, and watched Alex disappear into the masses.

"I trust him, I have to trust him." Isaac could barely hear his own voice over the loud music as he tried to keep an eye on his boyfriend. At this very moment, he wished that he could have kept Alex in the loft and never let him out. He instantly agreed with himself that that was a sick and twisted thought, but it scared him to see how Alex took to this scene as a natural.

He startled when he felt a tap on his shoulder, and turned to discover that it was the guy from the bar. "The drink was for you." He ran his hand down Isaac's back. "But it doesn't matter." Isaac stepped away to avoid the touch as he stared at the man, dumbfounded. "I guess you've already picked you price, and unless he wants to share you..."

For a moment, Isaac lost his ability to speak. He was extremely intrigued. He'd never looked at himself as particularly desirable. He knew he was reasonably good looking, but nobody had ever come on to him like this. With Alex – gorgeous Alex – at his side, he was surprised that anybody even noticed him.

While he was waiting for his voice to come back, Isaac looked at the guy more closely. He was tall and muscular; the mesh tank top was clinging to him as if it was a second skin. He wore extremely tight leather pants – which for Isaac seemed a little tacky – with some rhinestone attached like sequins down the side of it.

"No. Sorry. No." Isaac shook his head. "We're not into sharing." He panned the crowd for Alex, but couldn't see him. 'Half-naked' seems to be the going fashion trend at this place, although – when he looked closer – it was only about twenty percent of the guests that were sporting a bare chest. It still seemed like he and Alex were slightly overdressed for this venue.

Isaac jumped when he got a slap on his ass. "If you change your mind..." The man nodded over to the bar and started to walk away.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Stiles had been in the shower for a quick rinse, and was now back in bed. His ass hurt, and he wasn't quite sure if he wanted to try that again. It was definitely not going to happen shortly.

He waited for Derek to come back. He'd wanted to fix them a late night snack, and was in the kitchen to see what he could find. After Alex had taken over, there were always some tasty leftovers in the fridge, and Stiles worried that they would get fat from all the good food.

It didn't take so long before Derek came in with a tray. He brought meatballs, olives, a couple of chicken strips, and half a loaf of Alex' homemade garlic bread. Stiles mouth watered when the scent of the food hit his nostrils. "Alex is going to kill us slowly." Stiles scooted over to make room for the tray between them. "We're going to eat ourselves to death."

Derek chuckled as he handed Stiles a fork. "I know. Maybe that's what it's all about." He stabbed a meatball with his fork and held it up. "Hester's divine plan. Planting Alex here to make sure we were too busy eating to fight back." He shoved the food into his mouth.

Stiles had to smile. "And it would have worked if Alex wasn't so busy getting fucked. Isaac saved us from overdosing on food. He's the real hero." He ripped off a piece of the bread. "By the way, they didn't come home yet, should we worry?"

Too busy chewing, Derek just shook his head. He swallowed and took a piece of bread. "Nah. We said two hours, it's only been two and a half."

After ten minutes of silence while they focused on eating, Stiles leaned back on the headboard and patted his belly. "Enough. I can't." He watched as Derek removed the tray. During their little meal, Stiles had felt the burn in his ass, and he'd been pondering over the fact that Derek even owned a dildo.

The biggest question was really, how long he'd had it. It could easily had it stored away for years. The thought made him a little jealous. Derek could have bought it to use it on somebody else. "When did you get that thing?" Stiles knew the answer could be troubling, but he had to ask. "That rubber cock, I mean." To his surprise, he noticed that Derek blushed a little.

"Oh, ages ago. I just... It was just lying around unused and I..." He rubbed his forehead. "I found it the other day, still in the package and... you know..." Stiles didn't know, but he really wanted to. "I don't understand. Why did you even buy it?"

Again Derek seemed slightly embarrassed, and Stiles wondered if he'd regret asking. "Well, uh, I..." A few seconds went by before Derek spoke again. "Does it matter?" He seemed very reluctant to talk about it, which made Stiles even more curious.

"Technically? No. I just... I worry when you keep secrets. I worry that you bought it for somebody else." He felt stupid for admitting that he was jealous, especially when it had to do with the past. "If you think that I shouldn't know, you're probably right, but I can't help it."

Derek bent his head down and chuckled a little. "Oh, don't worry, I didn't have anyone else in mind when I...uh, got it." He smiled at Stiles. "I guess I should just tell you." He drew his breath as he scooted closer. "I always knew that I was attracted to both boys and girls, but I had never been with a boy."

The silence lasted for more than a minute before Derek continued. "I'd never had sex with a guy and I wanted to find out how it felt like." He paused for a second. "I was just a teenager, and I was curious."

When he fell silent again, Stiles nudged him. "Is that your explanation? I don't understand." He tried to catch Derek's eyes, but he turned away. "Okay, okay. I stole it from a shop. I grabbed the first thing I could reach and I ran." He threw his hands out. "I wanted a cock."

Stiles couldn't help himself, and started to laugh out loud. "So you, so you, huh, you stole it for yourself?" He could barely keep himself upright. It wasn't only because he'd learned that Derek was a thief. Stiles was also kind of relieved that he hadn't planned to use it on somebody else.

"I came home and looked at it, and I realized that I'd made a mistake. It was just too big." Derek slapped Stiles' thigh. "Stop it. Don't laugh." Stiles couldn't stop. This was the most hilarious news in a long time. "But... you... kept... it?" It wasn't easy to get the words out between the bursts of laughter.

The red glow in Derek's eyes could have been intimidating at one point in time, but not now. "I'm...sorry," Stiles hitched out. He wasn't quite truthful. He wasn't sorry.

"I hid it in the basement and forgot all about it. I found it again when we started to tear down the house." Derek got out of bed and picked up the tray. "I'm leaving. It's not that funny." He stomped towards the door as Stiles rolled around on the bed, still laughing. "Yes it is." He drew his breath and managed to compose himself somewhat. "You have to admit it. It's, it's..." Derek had left the room.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Melissa greeted him with her arms open as Scott came through the door. "What happened? Are you alright?" She was about to hug him when she suddenly took a step back. "What happened?" She repeated as her eyes focused on his hip.

He had tried to cover it up with the jacket, but it was obviously not enough. The stains on the dark jeans weren't so visible, but his T-shirt was ripped and the bottom part of it was almost entirely covered in with blood. "Uh, it's worse than it looks." He lifted his shirt to show her the healed skin underneath.

"I know you can heal. How bad was it really?" She looked a little scared as she again approached and gave him a hug. Scott hugged her back and kissed her on the cheek. "Not so bad. It was just a flesh-wound." He didn't like to lie to her, but he didn't want her to worry so much either.

"What about the others? Allison? Are they okay?" His mom stepped away to let him get his shoes and jacket off. "Oh, oh, and Alex. How did it go?" Scott nodded. "They're fine. Alex is fine. Hester had to give up her quest." He hoped Melissa wouldn't ask any more questions. One little white lie was enough.

He walked towards the stairs. "I'm tired. Negotiating is hard work." He forced out a chuckle; he wanted her to believe that there had been nothing to worry about, but she wasn't fooled. "Scott! Don't do this. Tell me what happened." He turned to her and sighed. "You sure you want to know?" His mom nodded before he'd finished the sentence and Scott sat down on the stairs.

"There was a fight. We had to fend them off, but we were never in any real danger." Lie number two came out naturally, and he continued. "We outnumbered them, so they gave up and fled." Scott tried to avoid looking at his mom, because he was afraid she'd notice that he was less than truthful. It didn't go as planned. "Scott, you are a terrible liar. I don't believe a word you're saying." Melissa frowned and folded her arms across her chest. "Did anyone get seriously hurt?"

Scott rubbed his forehead before he looked at his mom again. "Yes, someone got seriously hurt, but we're all fine now. Hester's pack is gone though, and we'll probably never see them again." He got up and shook his head. "I'll tell you more in the morning. I left, uh, we left. I really don't know everything." After a short hesitation he added: "Derek and Isaac got injured too, but Dr Deaton fixed them up."

He turned and ascended the stairs. Scott knew that his mom wanted more information, but he just couldn't. Revealing that his girlfriend killed Hester with her bare hands, or that Derek actually died for a moment, wasn't necessary.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Alex had been dancing for a while when he suddenly emerged from the crowd. He practically dived into Isaac's arms and looked up at him. "This is so much fun. You should join." Isaac felt no urge to dance, but he'd felt very lonely standing on the sideline. "I really don't think I should embarrass myself out there." He nodded towards the dance-floor. "And anyway, It's too hot, and I can't just remove my jacket."

For a moment, Alex looked a little puzzled, but then he obviously understood what Isaac was referring to. He was still wearing the ripped and bloodstained T-shirt. Alex grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the restrooms. "Come on, we'll fix that."

The music got slightly muffled as the door closed behind them. Alex walked backwards as he tried to rid Isaac of the jacket. They heard some heavy breathing from one of the stalls and Isaac threw a peek in that direction. The door was slightly ajar and he could see a young man on the floor busy sucking another one off. The sight was embarrassingly arousing, and Isaac heaved his breath when his pants got a little too tight.

Alex had managed to remove the jacket, and with a quick tug he ripped the already ruined T-shirt off Isaac. He'd obviously not noticed the couple in the booth, but then his eyes widened as he stared at them. "Oops." He took a step away dragging Isaac with. "That was, uh, hot."

It became pretty clear that Alex got just as horny from the sight as Isaac. For a second they both froze up, before they clung to each other and rubbed their cocks together through the fabric of their pants. "We can't... not here." Isaac dug his hand into Alex' pants and caressed his cock. "I know." Alex panted it out as he brushed his lips over Isaac's now bare chest.

The other couple got louder. Isaac unbuttoned Alex' pants and pulled the zipper down. "Just need to touch you." He grabbed around Alex' cock and gave it a tug. "Yes, yes, work it for me, baby." The ragged whisper from one of the men in there was just too much. Isaac forced Alex into one of the stalls and pulled his pants down, before he unbuttoned his own. Alex bent over and leaned on the wall. "Spit, just spit. I can take it."

Isaac did as he was told and with his fingers covered with saliva he force two of them into Alex' asshole. The prep was rushed and clumsy, but none of them had time to concern themselves with it. As the grunts and the slurping noises from the other stall told them that the guy was releasing his load into the other guy's mouth, Isaac forced his dick inside Alex.

Alex whimpered a little, but Isaac could not stop now. He thrust forward and started fucking Alex with frantic movements. The fact that they were in a public place made it so much more intense, and it took only a couple of thrusts before Isaac was on the edge. Alex was tugging on his own cock as he pushed back in sync with Isaac.

It was over in record time, and as Isaac cummed, he reached his hand around and helped Alex jerk himself off.

Isaac pulled out and helped Alex up before he started to button his pants. Alex turned around and was about to kiss him when his face suddenly turned red. He was staring at something behind Isaac. Isaac threw a glance over his shoulder and realized that the door of the stall was wide open. The two men from the other stall were standing there staring. One of them drew his breath and nodded approvingly. "Thanks boys, that was...uh, nice."


	60. Chapter 60

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stiles an his dad are going on a short vacation. (Gay guys seem to pop up in the strangest places.) Isaac suspects that Alex is an exhibitionist. Alex makes plans for the future. Chris has a few strange friends, but they know their business and work fast. The house may be finished sooner than they first thought. Something or someone is lurking in the woods.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know what happened. Chapter 60 came out rather strange, but I'm building a house here and needed some 'help'. For all of you who has followed my story so far: Thank you. I love your comments, good or bad, and I'm trying to do my best to give you what you want. When I started this I never thought I'd still be working on it almost a year later. Thank you all.

The investigation into sheriff Stilinski's indiscretion was practically over, and he was told to prepare to come back to work shortly. They did believe that he did it to protect his son, but a demotion was pending.

He'd urged Stiles to come with him to visit their relatives in Arizona, now that he was free to leave town. He wanted to spend a week with his brother before he had to be back on duty. Stiles hadn't seen his cousins since last year, and part of him wanted to go. On the other hand, he was reluctant to leave Derek and the others after all that had happened recently.

After the fight with Hester's pack, they had all tried to act normal. They had avoided discussing what Allison's new status would entail for the pack, and she was trying to pretend that nothing had changed.

Stiles didn't worry too much about it. Not being a werewolf himself, he didn't really understand what went on in their heads when it came to the pack-mentality. Humans liked to bunch together in groups too, and most people wanted a family, but the wolves obviously had this thing embedded as an instinct.

The only thing Stiles wanted was that his werewolf-friends would come to an agreement. He wanted them all to be able to hang out and be happy, regardless of their status. Knowing that it wasn't that simple for them he decided not to nag them, just gently 'push' them in the direction he wanted.

Being away for a week could make that impossible. Not that he felt that his influence had changed anything so far; Allison seemed to try to ignore the fact that she was an Alpha. Derek, who'd at first told Allison that she needed a pack, had not mentioned it anymore. Isaac and Alex were too indulged in each other to even care.

The only one who seemed a little concerned was Scott. He tried to act normal, but even Stiles could see that he treated Allison differently. Not that he hadn't showed respect for her before, but even if they both were Alphas, it was pretty clear who had the upper hand.

It was actually humorous to see how Scott changed when Allison was around. He acted like a lovesick puppy, and if he'd had a tail, it would have wagged every time she was nearby.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Embarrassing moments were starting to pile up, and at times it felt more like the norm. Being caught fucking in the restroom stall at the club was only the tip of the iceberg. On the outside, Isaac knew he looked confident and seemed to be taking it all in the stride, but not so much on the inside.

Between the first time when Stiles crashed through the door to tease them, and last night when Lydia had come running into the bathroom as Alex was about to wrap his lips around Isaac's cock, there had been a string of similar little 'accidents'.

That Lydia was at the loft at that time of night was surprising in itself, but it was almost like she aimed to catch them in the act. Isaac later learned that she'd come to deliver some DVD's she'd borrowed when she urgently needed to go use the toilet. That she almost peed herself from the embarrassment didn't change anything for Isaac.

They knew that Stiles was in the living room watching TV, but he would never even think about entering the bathroom when Isaac and Alex were there; not after the first time when he wanted to tease them.

Isaac didn't want to blame Alex; he knew perfectly well that he was partially responsible for getting them into these situations, but he'd soon discovered that Alex wasn't half as bothered about it as Isaac himself.

Sometimes, it looked like Alex got even more eager when there was a slim chance that they could get caught red-handed. That Isaac was unable to hold back was solely his own fault, but he did wonder. He had to admit that he was the 'aggressor' when they were at 'Jungle', but he had just been through a major trauma, and couldn't really think clearly.

Isaac wondered if Alex actually liked having an audience, or if it was only coincidental. The bottom line was that even if he sported a cute blush when it happened, he didn't seem to have any shame whatsoever. Alex also seemed eager to eavesdrop on Stiles and Derek, although it was rarely anything to hear. Those two were experts at keeping it down.

It wasn't that he minded so much. Isaac could feel the thrill when he knew somebody could hear them, but Alex seemed to seek out these situations. It happened way too often to be accidental. Isaac also worried that Alex' take on this relationship was purely sexual. They had never talked about the future, and even if Alex had cried out that he loved him when Joy had a gun pointed at Isaac's head, he didn't know if it was just a ruse.

Isaac wanted to talk about it, but he was afraid that he'd not get the answers he wanted. He'd seen Alex flirt with pretty much everybody they came across, and even if he liked 'flirty-Alex', he always felt a little pinch of jealousy when it happened.

The need to know was fighting with the fear of losing him, but Isaac knew he had to address it sooner or later, or else he'd go completely mad.

-o-o-o-o-o-

When Stiles left to go to Arizona with his dad, Derek spent every waking hour working on the house. Chris had called in a few favors, and the building project that at first had been estimated to take six months was now well on it's way to resemble a house.

Chris didn't even know why he spent so much time on this. He only wanted to help out a little to begin with, but over time he'd gotten absorbed with it.

It had been almost a week since the meeting with Hester, and Chris had done his best to act normal towards his daughter. Allison had participated in hunts many times before, and she'd showed promising qualities. That she killed the woman with her bare hands was a totally different story. That kind of blood-lust was rare, even amongst the most ruthless hunters, and he knew it was the werewolf in her that triggered it.

He had to admit to himself that he was scared of her, but even more, he was scared for her. A lone wolf was always something to be concerned about, and Allison showed no interest in joining Derek's pack. She didn't seem to want her own pack either, and that was also a little disturbing.

She would need the stability of a pack to be able to handle herself. Chris wondered if his own involvement in building the house could be a way of pushing Allison towards Derek. If she could live there with them, it would be safer for her. Not that Chris doubted that he could protect his own daughter, but he had to think about her future.

-o-o-o-o-o-

The roof was almost done. Derek knew that in some places, they had a tradition to have a small party for the workers when the last roof-tile was in place. He wanted to do that, but wasn't sure if it was such a good idea. The guys Chris had called in to help were an odd gang. Derek didn't know if they were hunters or not, but they didn't really fit the bill.

The electrician was heavy set, and his upper torso was covered in tattoos. Some of them crude as if they were made without the proper instruments. Derek suspected that he'd acquired them in prison. He drank beer constantly, but didn't show any signs of intoxication.

The guy on the roof was skinny as a toothpick, and he moved around up there like a monkey. His movements suggested that he could have a steady job as an acrobat in a circus. The plumbing was done by a fierce-looking character. He resembled a wrestler – almost seven feet tall – and with neck-muscles like a bull. He too sported multiple tattoos, but they were obviously all done by a professional.

The three of them all wore jeans and heavy boots, even though it had to be uncomfortable during the heat of the day. They had arrived on Harleys – big noisy beasts – and could possibly belong to a motorcycle-gang of some sort. Chris had told him that these guys owed him some favors, and Derek wondered what kind of business he'd had with them in the past. He didn't want to ask, because he sensed that Chris would be reluctant to answer.

Isaac and Alex had stayed away for a few days, and it was probably for the best. Derek could easily see these characters beating up faggots in dark alleys. He was pretty sure that they wouldn't start a fight, but it was better not to risk anything. Even with werewolf strength, it could be tough to overpower them; especially the giant plumber.

They didn't talk much; a few words during quick lunch-breaks was pretty much it. Other than that, they communicated solely by grunts and hand gestures. They worked fast, and the monkey-guy on the roof was practically done. The giant had installed vents and helped with the gutters, but besides that, he'd pretty much done the whole job by himself in a little less than three days.

Still contemplating about throwing a small party, Derek left the site to get some more supplies. He and Chris had been working on the outside sheathing, and hadn't had much to do with the other three during these days. They were supposed to install the windows and doors earlier, but there was a delay in the delivery, so it had to be postponed.

When Derek came back a couple of hours later with some more plywood, Chris was alone. The roof was done, and the guys had left with ha promise to come back to finish the plumbing and the electric when the interior was coming together. Derek had no words for how relieved he was about it. After unloading the pickup-truck he'd borrowed from Dr Deaton, he dug out the bottle of whiskey he'd got for the occasion. Even if Chris seemed eager to keep working, he took a break to make a toast.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Alex was seriously bored. With Stiles gone and Derek spending most of his time in the woods, there were not much to do in the loft. At Hester's house he'd always managed to stay busy. It was a big house and when the indoor chores were done he often tended to the garden.

He wanted to get a job, but who'd hire someone without a high-school diploma? During his years on the streets, he'd spent many days in the library; reading everything he found remotely interesting, but it wouldn't help much when he didn't have a paper to show for himself.

Hester had home-schooled both girls and also tutored Eric through the last bit of high-school. Jade and Eric had already taken several college classes, and Joy was going to start next semester. Alex had been so far behind that it would have taken a little bit longer to actually get him ready for a GED-examination.

Even if Hester was a genuine bitch for the most part, Alex had looked forward to the tutoring sessions with her. Those times he'd felt like a normal boy, and she'd had treated him as such. She'd been patient with him, and if he didn't know any better he'd have thought she was a professional teacher.

Alex wondered if he could actually attend school and get his diploma with Isaac, Stiles, and the others. He knew that Isaac wasn't particularly fond of studying, but he knew he needed to do it.

Isaac had told him that when he got the bite he thought he was invincible, and that he didn't have to even try to be like the others. He and a couple of other newbies had skipped school on a regular basis. They'd been both cocky and obnoxious, knowing that their life had changed significantly.

The three of them had been like outcasts before the bite, and they had done their best to retaliate after all the taunting and bullying they had been subjected to from their classmates in previous years. Isaac had also admitted that he thought Derek sucked as a leader, because he was unable to keep the pack together.

When the other two disappeared, Derek had taken care of Isaac in a different way. He didn't try so much to be the boss of him anymore, but had started to treat him more like a brother.

As a big brother Derek had showed much better skills, and he'd convinced Isaac that it was important to go to school. Derek himself had never earned a diploma, and he regretted it every day. When he lost his family in the fire, he'd pretty much dropped out of school and only luck prevented him from going rouge.

If it was impossible for Alex to actually go back to school, he had an idea that he and Derek could study together for the GED. He wasn't sure how to bring it up, but he knew it had to be done in a subtle manner. Derek never wanted to be reminded about his lack of formal education.

-o-o-o-o-o-

It was nice meeting his cousins again, although he felt like he'd outgrown them. Tim was almost seventeen now, and Linda had just turned fifteen. The age-difference wasn't so big, but the last years events had changed Stiles in so many ways. Last summer the three of them had had fun playing pranks on the adults, but it didn't seem so exciting anymore.

Tim had always been a computer-nerd and that hadn't changed much. He also looked the same as before. Linda on the other hand, had grown up and didn't look like a little girl anymore. It didn't change the fact that she still sometimes behaved like a baby. It wasn't like she was a spoiled brat, but she'd been very sick as a child and had gotten a lot of of attention. Even if she was mostly sweet and kind, she sometimes still threw a tantrum if she didn't get what she wanted.

They lived pretty remote, and there wasn't much to do around there in the summer. The only close neighbors were a family with seven children, and Stiles remembered playing soccer and baseball with them in previous years. Six of them were between ten and eighteen, and two years ago, they got a new little sister. Stiles was unable to recollect their names, but who could blame him; there were so many of them.

With nothing much going on in the small community, Stiles was treated like a celebrity when they went to hang out with the Anderson-family. Linda had spent a long time in her room changing outfits and putting on makeup before they finally were ready to go.

When they arrived, Stiles instantly understood why his cousin took her time with her looks. The oldest boy in the family – the sixteen year old – whom Stiles barely remembered from before, was something of a hunk. His tan skin and his bulging muscles told Stiles that he spent a lot of time outdoors lifting heavy things.

Linda stared at him doe-eyed from the moment he emerged on the porch. Stiles couldn't understand how it was possible to forget this guy, but when he got time to think about it he knew why. This guy – Christian – had been the one sibling who'd barely ever participated in any rough games. He'd been small for his age and had spent more time hanging out with Tim playing video-games.

Stiles noticed that the guy gave him a once-over before he greeted him a little shyly. He felt sorry for Linda. Christian was never going to look her way. This guy was as gay as they came. Last year, Stiles wouldn't have been able to spot it if he'd tried, but now he had a bit of practice.

It had to be tough for him. It was hard enough for a kid in the city to come out of the closet, but for someone living in the outskirts of civilization it would be an almost impossible barrier to cross. Stiles didn't know he he should let the guy know that he wasn't alone, or if that would make his situation worse.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Derek stared at the house. The almost full moon hanging over the treetops was the only light source, but it was more than enough for him. The sheathing was almost done, and the openings for the windows and doors looked like dark holes against the plywood covering the front of the house.

Chris had to leave for a couple of days, and Derek was a little relieved about it. Not that he minded working with the hunter. He was skilled and didn't waste time with unnecessary chitchat, but the guy seemed slightly obsessed with this.

The fact that his whole life was turned upside down could be a reason. He'd grown up as a werewolf-hunter, and his commitment to the task had been solid. A few things had changed over the last few months, and he'd started to question himself. Allison's fate had changed him even more. He couldn't call himself a real hunter anymore.

There would still be rogue wolves out there and Chris would probably still go after them, but it would be as part of a totally different team of hunters. He was almost part of the pack now, and would hunt with them.

Tomorrow Derek would bring Alex and Isaac to help with the insulation. The two of them needed something to do, but they were more or less all thumbs and Derek wasn't sure if they'd provide much progress.

Derek missed Scott at the site. He'd proven to be a good builder, but for some reason he hadn't showed up to help lately. It had probably something to do with Allison. She seemed totally at ease with the fact that she'd become an Alpha, but Derek suspected that she hid her innermost feelings. She knew what was expected of her, but was not willing to face the facts.

The rolls of fiberglass were piled up on the front porch, and Derek went over to make sure it was covered up. He didn't expect any rain, but it was better to be safe than sorry. The only sound he could hear, except for his own footsteps on the gravel, was the chirping from a multitude of crickets.

Suddenly, Derek got a creepy feeling that he was watched. He couldn't hear anything and drew his breath through his nose. There were no unfamiliar scents either, and he decided that it must have been some nocturnal animal passing by.

He decided to get back to the loft. It was late, and he wanted to start working as soon as the sun was up. A small rustle in the bushes made him flip around and scan the treeline. He held his breath and listened. A movement in the grass next to the driveway caught his attention, and he watched as a mouse darted across the open area and vanished into the vegetation on the other side of the road.

Derek exhaled and giggled a little embarrassingly. 'Time to get some sleep. Scared by a mouse.' He thought to himself as he walk to the car. After throwing a quick glance at the house again, he jumped into the Camaro.

The only thing on his mind as he left the woods was to get a bite to eat before he would go to bed. If he hadn't been so tired and hungry, he might have noticed the car that was parked at the crossroad. If he'd checked the rear-view mirror, he could easily have spotted a movement between the trees behind him.

Derek drove back to the loft, unaware of the fact that a werewolf had been spying on him for several hours.


	61. Chapter 61

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Arizona trip is coming to an end. Stiles is trying to be a good guy an support the neighbor boy, but that turns sour. Alex is still planning for the future, an we get a glimpse into his past. (Can contain triggers.) Allison realizes that her future are being planed by others than herself, and she's not perfectly comfortable with that. Stiles is angry and disappointed, and is happy when Derek calls him. He doesn't get much time to explain himself, but promise to call later. After another confrontation with Christian, where the frustration builds up, he finally gets a chance to talk with Derek.

It was fun hanging with his cousins, but Stiles missed Derek every hour of the day. The few phone calls and texts were hardly enough to satisfy him. Tim and Linda had obviously noticed that he was a little distracted form time to time, and they teased him a little about it. They were both eager to hear about his 'girlfriend', and Stiles hadn't said anything to rectify the misunderstanding.

His dad hadn't said anything either, but he was clearly uncomfortable every time the issue was brought up. Stiles wasn't ashamed or anything, but he worried that they would look at him differently. He knew perfectly well that in these parts of the world, homosexuality was generally frowned upon.

The only person he would have wanted to talk to about this was Christian. He wanted to give the guy a hint, just to let him know that if he needed a friend to confide in, Stiles could be that friend.

The week was almost over and Stiles hadn't had as much as a minute alone with the guy, so he'd pretty much given up when the opportunity arose.

Mr Anderson was a pastor, and the family was going to have a luncheon for the congregation at their house. The Stiliskis were also invited, and when Christian was sent to the village to pick up an elderly lady, Stiles volunteered to go with him.

"You've really changed since last year." Stiles was going to try to be subtle. "I mean, the girls must be swarming around you." He chuckled a little and smiled towards the guy. Christian shrugged. "Uh, no, I don't know." He shook his head. "I haven't really noticed."

Stiles decided to just go for it. "My boyfriend works out a lot and I wish I had the stamina to do it myself, but I'm too lazy." Christian shrugged again. "There's not much to do around here... huh, your boyfriend? You mean one of your male friends?"

There was a few seconds of silence before Stiles drew his breath and straightened himself up a bit. "No, I mean my boyfriend, as in, uh... My Boyfriend." He watched as Christian seemed to digest the information. "That's just sick! You are... sick."

Stiles had expected the guy to be a little surprised, but he hadn't expected the hash utterance and disgusted expression on his face. He didn't know how to proceed; maybe he'd got it wrong. Maybe the guy was straight. It was still no reason for him to be so judgmental. "Why? Love is love."

Christian huffed audibly. "You need help. God can help you. We can pray for you." He didn't look at Stiles, he just concentrated on the road. Stiles got a little angry. Not so much at Christian, himself, but at the teachings he'd been subject to. "I do not need any prayers. I'm happy. I love him and he loves me. It's nothing sick about it." He knew he sounded pissed, but didn't care.

Another few minutes went by. Stiles knew he would have kept quiet if he wasn't so annoyed, but he couldn't stop himself. "You don't notice if girls are looking at you, but I bet you notice if a boy does. I'm sure you like it when they admire your body."

The car screeched to a halt. "Get out!" Christian gestured for Stiles to open the door. "You can walk back or wait until I've picked up Mrs Berger." Stiles was about to apologize, but it became clear that Christian was not going to listen. He got out of the car and watched as the guy took of down the road. He wondered if he should start walking back, but that would probably cause someone to ask questions he wasn't ready to answer, so he sat down hoping Christian would be back soon.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"I want to go to cooking school." Alex said it more to himself, but he knew that both Derek and Isaac could hear him. He knew he would need his GED to get into any of Culinary School, and he wanted to know what his roommates thought about it.

"What do you need that for? Your food is definitely restaurant quality." Derek shrugged and served himself a third time from the casserole on the stove. "Could they really teach you anything?" He sat down again and dug in. Alex smiled and nodded. "Thanks, and yes they can. What I'm doing is home-cooking, I want to be a professional."

Isaac put down his fork and stared at him. "Do you want to open a restaurant or something?" He chuckled a little but stopped short when Alex frowned at him. "Yeah, why not?" He shifted his gaze between the two of them. "A little Italian place. Stiles want's to study economics, he and you..." Alex nodded towards Derek, "could manage the place. Allison would be a perfect Maître d'..."

The other two didn't look convinced, but Alex didn't get discouraged. "It would be like a family business. A pack-business." He leaned back and threw his hands out. "It's a thought, can you at least think about it?"

He couldn't remember when he first thought about opening his own restaurant. As far back as he could remember, he'd always helped his mom in the kitchen. When he was four, she'd made him his own apron. He'd chose the fabric himself and insisted on having lace around the edges of it, and he loved it.

Shortly after that his mom met the man who would become his stepfather. After being taunted about wearing the apron for almost a year, he caved in and hid it in the back of his closet. It didn't help much. His stepfather kept bullying him around, but it took another year before he laid a hand on him.

When he was six, he knew how to cook pasta to perfection. His mom bragged about it, but it didn't sit well with his father. "You're turning him into a sissy. He should be out playing football with the lads."

The first time he got spanked was after he and the girl next door swapped clothes. They were playing house and he'd insisted on being the mom. The girl got tossed out and Alex had a sore butt for days. After that, he got spanked for the most ridiculous reasons. He got locked into the hall-closet for hours if he didn't take the punishment as a man.

The treatment caused him to wet the bed on occasion, and he wasn't more than seven when he had to learn how to use the washer to clean his own linens. In the middle of the night, he had to remove the soiled sheets and remake his bed all by himself as his stepfather hovered over him with a belt twirled around his fist, ready to slap him if he made a wrong move.

At the age of ten he'd concocted his own bread recipe, and at twelve he pretty much took over the kitchen. That's when the abuse escalated. His step-dad loved the food, but it angered him that Alex wasn't interested in sports or cars or anything else that other boys his age liked. He could also jump up in a fit of rage if there was as much as a speck of pasta-sauce on the counter.

His mom worked full time now, and wasn't home till late. Alex was expected to have dinner ready for his dad every day. At the same time, he got verbally abused about hanging in the kitchen instead of playing baseball with his friends. His stepfather's double standards took a toll on him, and his mom did nothing to defend him.

He didn't get spanked anymore, but he really wished he was. When his dad gestured for him to bend over, he at least got a clue to when he'd be punished. The last couple of years before he took off, the beatings took another turn. Out of nowhere, he could get punched in the face or thrown into the wall.

More than once, the punch was so hard that it knocked him off his feet. If he didn't get up fast enough, he got kicked. One time he suffered two fractured ribs when his stepfather's shoe-tip hit his chest. When the teacher started to question his almost permanent black eye and swollen lip, the tactic got changed again. The school never pursued the issue when the abuse wasn't visible anymore, but under his long-sleeved sweaters and long pants, his skin was littered with bruises and scars.

He skipped PE on a regular basis, and when the teacher sent a note home, Alex' mom lied for him and told them that he was sick. He knew perfectly well that she did it to protect her husband. She didn't want anyone to know about the beatings.

One morning, when he could barely get out of bed because his whole body was aching, he packed a bag and took off. After raiding the house for cash and things he could sell, he left a note to his mom telling her that he wouldn't come back until his step-dad was out of the house.

Six months went by. His mom had sent multiple texts begging him to come home. She promised that his stepfather had changed his ways and that the man loved him. Alex realized that she'd never leave him, and he tossed the phone. It was a sad day, but he couldn't go back there knowing that his mom chose to stay with the abuser.

.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Allison and Scott got very surprised when they came to the Hale-house with Chris. It almost looked like a real house now. "Wow, you guys have really been working hard. This is... Wow." Scott looked at Derek. "How long were we gone?"

Derek smiled and pointed to Chris. "We had some help, Chris brought a couple of friends." He gestured for them to come inside. Isaac and Alex was busy with the insulation, but took a break when they noticed the newcomers. "Isn't this awesome."Alex threw his hands out. "It won't take long before we can move in."

Allison shrugged. "Well, it's still a lot to do, but I'm really amazed." She panned the room they were currently in. "I guess this will be the living room?" She nodded. "Nice." Alex grabbed her hand. "I'll show you around." He pulled her with him.

"This will be the kitchen." Alex leaned towards her, and after throwing a peek over his shoulder he whispered: "My kitchen." Allison chuckled silently. "I see." She let Alex lead her to the next room. "Here we'll have a small bathroom, and there will be a guestroom." Back in the living room he pointed at the stairs. "It's not quite done yet so be careful."

They walked upstairs and Alex led her directly to a room at the end of the hall. It was big and it looked like it would have a balcony, because there was an opening for a door on the back wall. "We didn't get all the walls up yet, but there will be a walk in closet and a bathroom there." Alex waved towards the left side of the room.

Allison could see pipes coming out of the wall and the floor. "It's still quite big. Who's room is this?" She walked over and looked through the opening in the wall. The view was nice. The woods were not so dense from this angle, and it would be possible to see the sunset on a clear evening. "It's yours." Alex came up next to her. "Yours and Scott's if you decide to come live here."

Allison got a little taken aback. Derek had asked her if she wanted to move in, but the issue had not been mentioned anymore, and she'd thought that the suggestion wasn't for real. "I... It's... I haven't even thought about it." She felt a little uncomfortable. "My dad... I can't..."

Alex started laughing. "Your dad. He was the one who suggested that you'd get this room. He said you liked the sunset." He started to walk away. "Derek and Stiles' room is similar. It's on the other side of the house. Come on."

Allison didn't follow him. She turned around and panned the room, and tried to imagine it furnished. A king-sized bed on the right and a vanity next to the door. Under the window, they could have a desk, and there would be room for a couple of recliners were they could sit and watch the sunset together. She shook her head. She wasn't sure if this kind of collective-household was right for her.

The need to be in a pack had crawled in on her, but she was fighting against it. She didn't want to be dependent on anybody. "Are you coming." She got startled when Alex yelled at her from down the hall, but collected herself quickly. "Sure, I'm sorry."

Alex showed her his and Isaac's room, before he pointed to a ladder leading to the loft. "Eventually we'll do something up there too, but for now it'll have to wait." He walked towards the stairs again. The other rooms up here can be used as offices or maybe eventually a nursery, who knows."

Allison knew she had to give it all a serious thought. She knew perfectly well what Alex was insinuating by mentioning a nursery, and she felt that they all were planing the rest of her life without consulting her. That her dad was in on it wasn't as surprising as it could have been. She knew that he wanted her to be in a pack for her own safety.

-o-o-o-o-o-

"I'm abandoned in the middle of nowhere because of my big mouth." Stiles was bored and was happy when Derek called him as he was waiting for Christian to come back. "I'll be okay, but I'm stuck with a group of religious freaks."

Derek chuckled a little. "What? Your relatives? What happened?" Stiles huffed. "No, not my relatives. Their neighbors." He drew his breath. "One of the guys thinks that my soul needs saving because I have a boyfriend." He paused for a second. "The worse part is that this guy is probably gay himself. I don't know, but I'm pretty sure."

It took a few moments for Derek to reply. "Hm... Is he good looking?" He obviously tried to sound casual, but Stiles caught a little insecurity in his voice. "Actually, yeah. He is. Are you jealous?" He liked that Derek wasn't bothered with jealous thoughts on a regular basis, but it was nice to know that it could happen. It was nice to know that he wasn't taken for granted.

"No, I trust you." Derek sounded sincere. "You know, if you want to be with someone else there's nothing I can do. You are very far away though, and you probably miss a little cuddling." Stiles had to laugh. "I do, I miss cuddling with you." In the distance he could see Christian's car approach. "He's not my type, and if he was, I'd be in for a challenge. He is damaged by his religion and will probably marry a girl eventually. He'll live a lie until he can't take it anymore."

Stiles got up from the ground and waved. "I'm getting picked up. Anyway. I was just trying to tell him that he wasn't alone, but it didn't go around too well. Love you, got to go. I'll call you tonight." He hung up and jumped into the backseat. He didn't even get a chance to buckle up before the car was in motion again. Christian still looked angry and when they arrived at his house, he helped Mrs Berger out of the car, totally ignoring Stiles.

-o-o-o-o-

A half hour later most of the guests had arrived. Pastor Anderson started with performing a small sermon. Stiles noticed that Christian was clenching his hands together and stared down on his lap through the speech, and he wondered if the guy was praying for him or if he was praying for himself.

Stiles didn't get a chance to talk to Christian again that afternoon. He wasn't sure what he would have said anyway, so it was probably for the best. They were going to leave in the morning and it would be a year or more till he saw him again.

When he and his dad were getting ready for bed – they were sharing a room – Stiles excused himself. He'd promised to call Derek, but hadn't got a chance until now. "Keep it down." His dad whispered as Stiles was about to sneak out. "What? Are you embarrassed about your queer son? Afraid someone will hear me talk to my boyfriend?" He giggled a little but was actually curious. "No, uh, yeah, maybe. I don't know. I just don't want all the questions. This is a very sheltered community." Stiles shook his head, but he did understand. He wasn't too eager to reveal anything himself.

Derek answered immediately, but asked him to call back in few because he was in the car driving home. Stiles hung up and looked at the clock. It wasn't that late. He stared at the Anderson-house. It was dark and quiet. It seemed like everybody went to bed early around here.

The moon was almost full and lit up the area. A movement at the corner of the neighbors house caught his attention. Sometimes, Stiles had wished he had werewolf senses; this was one of those times. He wondered if there could be a mountain lion or a coyote. Hanging with werwolves, his own senses had evolved somewhat; Derek had taught him how to use them more consciously, so it took only a minute for him to realize that it was human activity he'd noticed.

Stiles was still not able to see who it was or what was going on over there. He moved slowly closer, staying behind the cars so he wouldn't be so visible in the glaring moonlight. He tried to tell himself that it wasn't because he was curious, but if he had to wait a few minutes to call Derek again, he needed something to do.

Still too far away to hear anything, he was pretty sure it was Christian sitting on the darkest end of the porch. Stiles was about to go back – he didn't want to spook the guy – when he tripped in his own feet and landed flat on his face. Cursing silently at his own clumsiness, he heard footsteps approaching.

"Oh, it's you." Christian seemed reluctant to come closer, but then he reached his hand out and helped Stiles up. "You should get inside. Sometimes we have mountain lions here." He took a couple of steps back. Stiles stared at him. It was no doubt that the guy had been crying and he was pretty sure it was his fault. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you earlier. It's just... You called me sick, and I don't tolerate that."

Christian shook his head and walked slowly backwards. "No, I, okay. I shouldn't have said that, but... I can help you." He stopped and cocked his head. "God has a cure, pray with me." Stiles didn't know if he wanted to laugh or cry. This was just too surreal. "A cure for what exactly? I'm not sick." He regretted giving the guy an apology. He wasn't sorry at all.

"He can take away the urges. He can help you fall in love with a girl." Christian didn't sound convincing at all; it was almost like he didn't believe it himself. Stiles nodded to himself before he met Christian's eyes. "Did he help you? Did he take away your urges?" He moved closer to make sure he could see the expression on the guy's face clearly. "I think not."

The fear in the guy's eyes was as real is if Stiles had been a mountain lion. Although, mountain lions were common around here, so they would probably not scare him so much. "Stop it. You can't just come here and stir up things. I was fine. I was dealing." Christian turned his head to avoid Stiles' stare. "You're obviously too damaged to be helped, but for me there is hope."

Stiles grabbed his arm. "There is hope for you. A hope that you'll understand that what you feel in here..." He pointed a finger at the guy's heart, "is real." When his phone started to vibrate in his pocket, he let go and pulled back. "And if you will excuse me, I'm going to take this call from my boyfriend."

The anger he felt inside was overwhelming. Stiles turned away as he pressed the answer-button. "Sorry, I'm here. I just had a small issue to deal with. I miss you so much." He threw a peek over his shoulder and noticed that Christian was still standing in the same spot. "Derek, I love you. You are the only one I want... forever."


	62. Chapter 62

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Derek is a little uncomfortable thinking about what Stiles is up to in the Arizonian outskirts. Its' not that he doesn't trust his boyfriend, but he's only human. He finds a surprising way to take his mind of it. Allison and Scott talk about the house and decides to go there late at night. Isaac has an unwanted encounter in the restroom at 'Jungle', but gets 'saved' by a friend. Stiles is still pissed about Christian's lack of self-insight. He calls Derek, and gets a surprise. Not sure how to deal with it, he chooses to not let it bother him. Allison and Scott get a little creeped out as they walk though the Hale-house. They decide to let it slide, not knowing that a uninvited guest had been there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (In a recent episode, we learned that werewolves can't get drunk, but in my universe they can. It takes a good deal of alcohol though.)

It was the weirdest conversation ever. Derek stared at the phone for a whole minute after he and Stiles hung up. He wondered what could have happened up there in the mountains, and he worried. He had no reason not to trust Stiles, but the way he kept repeating that he missed him and that he loved him unconditionally was highly suspicious.

He wondered if it could have anything to do with the guy he'd talked about earlier. It wasn't very likely that Stiles had hooked up with him, but there was an uncertainty tickling Derek's mind.

Stiles would be back home tomorrow night and he would probably reveal what had happened. He would know that lying wasn't an option. Derek could easily detect a lie.

He didn't want to be jealous. He trusted Stiles. There were no reason to sit there and think about it; it'd just drive him crazy. 'But what if something went down that Stiles had no control over?' 'What if he fell for this guy, but tried to push it away?' 'What if less than pure thoughts about the Arizonian caused Stiles to panic?' The thoughts that went through Derek's head was not welcomed.

He ascended the stairs and entered the loft. It was quiet. Isaac and Alex was probably in bed already, and Derek was happy about that. He knew they would have been able to see that he was a little disturbed. He was surprised that he didn't even hear some heavy breathing from the room, but didn't think much of it.

A small bowl of salad and a plate with lasagna was sitting on the counter. They were loosely covered with saran-wrap. A note was lying next to it. 'We're at 'Jungle'. Have a nice meal.:)' Derek tossed the note and put the lasagna in the microwave-oven. The uneasiness he felt would probably go away with a decent meal. He hadn't eaten much all day, and the thought of the food made his stomach growl.

A half hour later, he was leaning back on the couch with a drink in his hand. It was hard to relax. He couldn't help thinking about what could have happened up there in the Arizonian wilderness, and he knew that he wouldn't be able to get any sleep. With a shrug he got up and grabbed his jacket. He had to find something better to do than feel sorry for himself.

-o-o-o-o-o-

"Did you see the room?" Allison and Scott were cuddled up on the couch in the McCall's living-room. She hadn't noticed if Scott had been upstairs in the Hale-house when they were there that afternoon, and she didn't think he'd got the tour. "What room?" Scott was lazily playing with her hair as he tried to focus on the movie they were watching.

Allison had been too indulged in her own thoughts to pay attention to the screen. It was an old film, made before any of them were born. Scott had a thing for Robin Williams and had chosen the movie, and she'd had no reason to object. "My room, our room. Derek's invitation is for real. He wants me to move in."

Scott was still staring at the TV, but she could feel that his hand stopped moving for a second, before he again tangled his fingers into the tresses. "Hmm, really?" It took almost a minute before he reached for the remote and paused the movie. A frozen picture of an unfamiliar actor stared at her from the screen. "Did Derek ask you again?" Scott turned his head slowly towards her.

Allison sighed and looked down on her lap. "No, but... Alex showed me my room." She clenched her hands together before she threw a quick peek at Scott. "They didn't tell you?" She did wonder why nobody had said anything to Scott about it, but then again, she hadn't mentioned it either.

"So he really meant it? Derek wants you to move in there? What about me?" Scott grabbed her hands and caressed them gently. Allison sighed again. "Didn't you hear me? Our room. It's our room." She drew her breath and turned to face Scott properly. "I don't know what to make of it, but my dad is in on it. He wants me to do it."

Scott stroke her cheek and smiled. "I'm a little disappointed that you didn't mention this earlier, but it's okay." He got up from the couch. "Show me, let's go there."

-o-o-o-o-o-

Isaac felt very awkward on the dance-floor, but he didn't want to let Alex out of his sight, so he had to be there. Hanging at the bar wasn't really an option regardless. He didn't have too much money on him, and dancing was cheap. It was also the little worry that he could get carded. He still had the fake ID, but it wasn't that good.

He tried to move in sync with the music, but it was crowded, and he got constantly bumped into by other people. He wasn't sure if it was by accident or not, but it threw him off beat every time. Alex didn't seem to have any problems keeping the rhythm going no matter what.

This time, they were more appropriately dressed for the occasion. Alex was wearing a tight-fitting light blue T-shirt and Isaac himself wore a sleeveless, black button-down. He regretted his choice when he looked at the rest of the clientele. Everybody else seemed tanner and more toned than him. He should have covered up. He would have felt more comfortable in a big bulky sweater, even if he risked dying from heatstroke.

Assessing the crowd more closely, he realized that he wasn't the only one with a less than perfect body, but it didn't matter. Looking at Alex he still felt inferior. Guys were constantly rubbing themselves against his boyfriend; touching him in ways that for Isaac was totally inappropriate. The worst part was that Alex didn't seem to be bothered by it at all. He flirted shamelessly with everybody, even the girls that occasionally came within reach got a wink and a seductive smile from him.

Isaac needed to pee, but was reluctant to leave Alex behind. After a while it was impossible to wait any longer and he gestured towards the restroom, hoping that Alex would follow him.

It didn't happen, but Isaac had to go, so he rushed into a stall and tried to hurry. As he washed his hand afterward, a guy came in. It was the same guy that had bought a drink for him the last time they were here and Isaac hoped he wouldn't be recognized. "You came back. Nice." The man stopped right behind him and leaned in. "How about a little fun." He reached his hand around and ran it over Isaac's crotch.

Isaac knew he could overpower him, but he didn't want to create a scene, so he pushed the hand away gently. "Sorry, no." He grabbed some tissue and wiped his hands as he tried to scoot away, but the man was determined. "Don't be silly. No strings attached, just some fun." He pushed his pelvis forward and wrapped his arms around Isaac's waist.

It angered him that the guy couldn't take no for an answer, and Isaac felt that his claws was coming out. He tried to hide his hands as he fought against it. "Please let go. I'm not interested." He managed to keep his voice steady, but it wasn't easy. A sloppy kiss on his neck made him squirm, and he was about to lash out at the guy, but only extreme willpower prevented him from doing so.

He sighed in relief when he heard the door open, and hoped that the guy would let go now that they got company. Another kiss told Isaac that his suitor wasn't bothered by the interference, and he exhaled slowly to calm himself down. He could injure this guy seriously if he couldn't control the turn. "I don't want to hurt you. Please walk away." He tried to come loose, and he could hear the guy chuckle a little as he tightened the grip to prevent Isaac to move away. "Hurt me? I think not."

Then, suddenly, and for no apparent reason whatsoever, the guy let go. Isaac turned around and watched as Derek shoved him up against the wall and pushed his forearm against his throat. "Didn't you hear him? He asked you nicely." Derek loosened the grip and grabbed onto the guy's shirt before he pushed him towards the door. "Get out!"

Isaac stared at Derek wide-eyed. "What are you doing here?" He was a little embarrassed about having to be saved, but the surprise of meeting Derek at this place overpowered that feeling. "I didn't think this was your kind of venue."

Derek shrugged and entered a stall. "I was bored and wanted to hang out with you guys." He closed the door to the stall and Isaac waited until he was done taking a leak and didn't say anything. Derek came out and walked over to the sink. "Where's Alex?"

Isaac realized that he'd been gone for a while now and he got a little impatient. "Dancing, I guess?" He moved towards the door. "You didn't see him?" Derek wiped his hands as he shook his head. "No, but I didn't look around either. The dance-floor was pretty crowded so I probably wouldn't have spotted him even if I tried."

As soon as they came out from the restroom, both of them panned the area to look for Alex. Isaac was on his way to enter the dance-floor when Derek pulled on his shirt and pointed towards a table near the bar. Alex was sitting on a small couch with a drink in his hand. A girl in a sequined dress sat next to him with her arm wrapped over his shoulder. The armrests of the couch were occupied by two young men. Three other people were sitting on small stools on the other side of the table.

When Alex spotted them he got up and waved them over. He gestured for the girl to scoot over and managed to make room for Isaac on the couch. It as a tight squeeze but Isaac didn't want to sit any other place than next to Alex.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Stiles was so pissed that he couldn't sleep. He was twisting and turning in his bed, unable to get comfortable. He knew he hadn't been fair to Christian. The guy was damaged and couldn't really help himself, and Stiles was angry because he let it get to him.

If the guy wanted to live a lie, it was none of his business, but he couldn't help wanting to save Christian from that fate. Clenching his hands into fists, Stiles cursed silently at himself, because he was unable to let it go.

Even if the stay there at his aunt and uncle's place had been okay, he'd been a little bored the whole time. He had missed Derek so much, and he'd also missed the rest of his friends. The fact that he'd nobody to talk to about the werewolf business and his own problems regarding that, had been tough.

The only little excitement he'd experienced was trying to find out if Christian was as queer as he'd first suspected. Stiles knew it was slightly creepy, but it was something to occupy his mind with. He'd also payed close attention to how Linda acted around the guy, and he'd noticed that Christian seemed to find it a little uncomfortable.

In the car, when Stiles got a chance to talk to him alone, he'd thought it would be a breeze to get him to understand that there wasn't anything wrong with him. That had so not been the case, and he'd worried that he'd got it all wrong.

When he finally got the clear confirmation that Christian was into guys, but that he was fighting it tooth and nail, Stiles felt so sorry for him for a split second. It was only until he started ranting about prayers and savior.

Totally unable to relax, Stiles slipped out of bed and snuck out of the room. He needed some sanity and decided to call Derek again. His boyfriend could be fast asleep by now, but it wouldn't matter. Tiptoeing through the house, he decided to get a drink and go to sit on the porch. The bedrooms were at the back of the house and nobody would be able to hear him from there.

It took a while before Derek replied, and Stiles was about to apologize for waking him up, when he heard loud music in the background. "What's going on? Where are you?" The sound of techno-pop was surprising. He wouldn't have expected Derek to play that kind of music at home.

"Uh, I, we're at a club." Derek's voice was barely audible. "Me and Isaac and Alex, we, uh, went out." Stiles found it extremely disturbing, and it did not help on his state of mind. How could Derek go out and have fun without him? Stiles took a couple of breaths to calm himself. It was just silly to get angry about it. "Oh, where? Didn't think a club was your cup of tea."

After a slight hesitation, Derek cleared his throat. "Jungle, we're at Jungle." Before Stiles got a chance to say anything, Derek continued. "It's not, uh, my cup of tea, to use your words. I kind of hate it here."

Stiles smiled to himself, because he liked the fact that Derek didn't have too much fun. A split second later, he got embarrassed by his own thoughts. He wasn't being fair. "I'll be home tomorrow night and can comfort you." He was still a little disturbed, knowing that Derek probably was surrounded by a multitude of handsome guys. "I just couldn't sleep. I miss you so much."

Derek chuckled a little. "I know. You told me less than two hours ago. I miss you too." He paused for a second. "Did something happen? You sound a little distressed." Stiles knew that it would be impossible to hide the anger he felt, but hearing Derek's voice had helped somewhat. "I'm fine, I'm just being stupid. Please don't have too much fun without me."

He could hear Alex' voice in the background. "Derek! Come on, don't be such a party-pooper. Cheers Stiles! Come back soon." Derek sighed and it sounded like there was a small altercation on the other end of the line. "Sorry. Alex is seriously drunk. Everybody is buying him drinks and Isaac is pissed out of his mind."

Stiles could see it before him. Alex could be quite flirtatious when he was sober, and a drunk Alex was probably a hundred times worse. "I guess you have your hands full then?" He trusted Derek completely and knew he had nothing to fear. He was still a little annoyed that he'd gone out to party, but decided to let it slide. "I'll let you go. Love you and see you tomorrow."

-o-o-o-o-o-

It was dark in the woods. The almost full moon could have lit up the area, but it was hidden behind a thick cloud-cover. When Allison turned off the ignition causing the headlights to go out, the darkness surrounded them as a blanket. Even werewolves needed a minimum of light to see anything, and in here they could barely make out the outline of the house.

Allison picked a flashlight out of the glove-compartment and exited the car. With the beam from it guiding them, they walked towards the house. "Maybe this was a bad idea." Scott whispered as they took the few steps up on the porch. He could hear Allison scoff, but she didn't say anything at first.

They walked through the opening of the front entrance and she let the beam pan the room inside. "It was your idea. Are you scared?" She emitted a small giggle before she turned off the flashlight. The darkness was complete. Scott could feel that Allison was about to move forward and he grabbed her arm. "Careful! The stairs to the basement are not covered, we can fall in."

She stopped short and turned the light on again. "I forgot." She directed the beam towards the make-shift staircase. "Let's go."

Half way up, they both got startled when they heard a rustle from somewhere behind them. Scott was unable to detect if it came from the outside or the inside of the house, and he grabbed on to Allison's arm. "What was that?" He turned and took a step up as he stared into the darkness. Allison turned also and they ascended the stairs backwards as she let the beam run over the interior of the ground floor.

"Probably an animal. Anything can get in here." She didn't sound convinced. "I can't detect any unfamiliar scents." Scott drew his breath through his nose, and concentrated on trying to distinguish between the different smells that entered his nostrils. He recognized pine, animals, a faint whiff of meat from the outdoor stove. Allison's perfume almost overpowered it all, but there was a vague scent of something different in the air.

"Hang on, there's someone out there." He drew his breath again, and tried to focus on the unfamiliar pheromones he'd discovered. For about two minutes, the two of them just stood there at the top of the stairs, sucking in air. It was almost completely quiet around them.

"Maybe the night is playing tricks on us. I can't smell it anymore." Scott grabbed Allison's hand squeezed it gently. "There could have been a lingering scent of anyone who've been here during this week." He didn't truly believe his own words, but with nothing to go on, he decided to go with that.

Allison seemed satisfied with that explanation, and she pulled him with her towards a room in the corner. "This is it." She was whispering and Scott realized that she too was slightly nervous. She pointed and explained as she constantly threw glances towards the hall.

Half a mile away, at the outskirts of the woods, a werewolf was leaning on a tree. He was panting heavily as he sunk down on the ground. It had been an extremely close call. Curiosity had almost got him caught.


	63. Chapter 63

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A couple of weeks have gone by. Strange things are happening at the Hale-house, but nobody talks about it. They are making progress and everybody helps out as much as they can. The mood in Hesters house is depressing, and both Eric and Troy spend more time alone than with the girls. Lydia discovers that because of the horrible thing that happened at the Hale-house years ago, she gets visions that makes it hard to enter. There's a car parked at the crossroad, and Alex wonders a little about that.

"It's a little creepy out here." Scott kept peeking over his shoulder as he gathered the tools that were spread around on the front porch. "I always feel like we're being watched." He handed them to Stiles, who put them in the toolbox. "What do you mean?" Stiles didn't look at him; he was struggling to fit all the tools in.

They had finally received the windows and doors that were ordered weeks ago, and all hands had been on deck to install them as fast as possible. Derek didn't want to do too much on the inside until they could lock up the house, so for the last couple of weeks, they had worked on the outside paneling.

Stiles and Scott hadn't participated so much. Scott had been busy at Dr Deaton's clinic, and Stiles had landed a job as a pizza-delivery-guy, so he hadn't had much time to be there either.

"What do you mean?" Stiles looked at Scott and repeated the question. "Who would that be?" Scott shrugged and stared into the woods. "I don't know. It's just a, a, a feeling." He grabbed the broom and started to sweep the porch. "Maybe I'm just imagining things." He chuckled a little. "The others have been here all day everyday, and none of them have mentioned anything."

Derek and Chris were on the other side of the house, struggling to fit the backdoor. Somebody had made a mistake, so the opening was too small. Chris had taken the blame although everybody knew it wasn't his fault. He still felt responsible, because he had been the leader of this project.

Allison had gone into town to pick up some supplies and Isaac was helping Alex gathering wood for the outdoor stove. The plan was to have a little barbeque tonight. Lydia, Melissa and Mr Stilinski was invited also. The three of them hadn't been at the site at all for the last couple of weeks, and would probably get a surprise when they saw the house again.

"Maybe you should tell them." Stiles closed the toolbox and grabbed the handle. He managed to lift it a couple of inches off the floor, before he put it down again. "Oops, it's too heavy, you have to put it away." He pushed the front door open with his shoulder as he gestured for Scott to pick up the toolbox. "I mean, even if it could just be your mind playing tricks on you, it's better to be safe than sorry."

-o-o-o-o-

Allison had started to get excited about moving into the Hale-house, but the last few days, she'd began doubting herself. She wasn't particularly superstitious, but knowing that a lot of people had died in the house, she'd almost started to believe in ghosts. At first it wasn't anything she could put her finger on, but every time she came back there, something didn't feel right.

One morning, when she noticed that all the cups and water bottles that they left in random places were nicely gathered together on the porch, she decided to do a test. They always collected the tools before they left, but Monday night, she'd left a hammer on the window sill. When they came back the next day, the hammer was in the toolbox.

It was a little embarrassing, so she hadn't mentioned it to anybody. It could of course had been Derek coming back during the night, but it didn't seem plausible. She and her dad had come there everyday at the same time as Derek, and he'd almost always left only a couple of minutes after them. Not enough time to search for tools.

It wasn't only the hammer. Last night, she'd made sure she was the last one out, and she'd left a necklaces on the floor. This morning, before breakfast and before her dad was out of bed, she'd driven out there by herself. Shivers went down her spine when she found the necklace hanging from a nail loosely hammered into the door frame.

There was no unfamiliar scent in the air, so she was pretty sure no strangers could have been there. Driving back home, she wondered again if she should share this with someone. She was surprised that nobody else had noticed anything, but she decided that guys were probably less perceptible.

-o-o-o-o-o-

When the blueprints went missing, Chris wanted to ask who took them, but then he wondered if he'd misplaced them himself. Two days later, they were back where he'd been sure he'd left them in the first place. It could have been Derek who'd taken them home for some reason, or maybe Allison wanted to take a closer look.

He always left his tool-belt on the staircase, but one morning it was on the floor. He could have sworn he was the last one out the day before, and he couldn't understand who'd knocked it down. Chris decided to have a chat with Derek about it. It wasn't that it was such a big deal. Anyone could have taken a stroll through the woods and been curious about this building.

If a couple of youngsters from Beacon Hills had been there during the night, it was a little disturbing. They hadn't done any damage yet, but Chris wondered if they should guard it. If they didn't manage to stop unwanted visitors, whoever it was could suddenly decide to trash the place.

With the doors and windows installed he felt a little better, but he wanted to make sure they could lock it up too.

They'd had the doorhandles and locks for a while already, and Chris didn't want to leave the site tonight without attaching them. The problems with the backdoor threw them off a bit, but it should be possible to secure the house before nightfall, even if he had to do it alone.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Doing the insulation was extremely boring, but Alex did it without complaining. Derek and Chris wouldn't let him do anything else, and this was a way for him to feel that he was part of this. After the little incident with the bathroom window, he could understand that they didn't want him to touch anything that could break.

It was a small window, and Chris had asked him to hold it in place for a moment while he leveled it. Alex thought he had a good grip, but when Chris was about to tack it to the sill, it slipped out of his hands and fell inwards. That it didn't break was just pure luck.

Alex knew that Chris had been less than impressed with his skills already, and this was the final straw. After that he wasn't allowed to touch anything else than the fiberglass.

From the beginning he'd been in charge of food supply, and he felt that he was redeeming himself somewhat when he served them lunch and supper out there in the woods. Sometimes he used the outdoor stove, but mostly he went to the loft to cook before he brought the food back to the site.

Every day, Derek left the loft by the crack of dawn while Alex and Isaac took their time with the morning ritual. They normally got there sometime before noon, bringing sandwiches for Derek, Chris, and Allison. After working for a few hours, Alex went back to start supper. Sometimes Isaac came with him, but they got so easily sidetracked by each other, that Derek had to call and nag them.

Sometimes Scott and Stiles came to help out. Stiles had odd work-hours at the pizza-place and was there more randomly, while Scott tried to come every afternoon. All of them, except Derek and Chris, left as the sun was setting in the west. When Scott was not there, Allison stayed behind also.

Almost every evening, as they left the site, Alex had noticed a car hidden between the trees by the crossroad. He hadn't mentioned it. This area was a popular place for people to walk their dogs, or young lovers to get away from their parents. The driveway to the Hale-house was about a mile long, so he assumed that whoever owned that car wasn't going anywhere near it.

Alex couldn't see what make it was, it was too dark between the bushes, but he was pretty sure it was the same car every time. He did wonder if anyone else had noticed, but hadn't bothered to ask. The car could have been gone before Derek and Chris left, and Isaac was always too concentrated on the driving in the dingy old Toyota.

-o-o-o-o-

Jade was slowly getting back to her old self. She had still a hard time recollecting what had happened at the baseball field. She knew that Hester was killed – that she remembered vividly – but the rest was a blur.

Troy and Joy had filled her in somewhat, but they couldn't tell her if anyone in Derek Hale's pack had been fatally injured. The only thing they knew for sure was that both Allison and Chris Argent were alive and well, and that the girl had acquired Hester's Alpha-status.

Alex was also alive, and he'd made it clear that he wouldn't come back to them, but it wasn't such a great loss. Jade had never really got to know him properly, he'd just been like a servant and not worthy of her attention.

She'd tried to get Troy to comfort her, but he was clearly not interested. He had stopped talking about revenge, but spent most of his days alone, running in the yard or working out on the porch. At night she assumed that he was in bed, but she didn't know for sure if he was even in the house.

Eric tried to keep the house in order and made sure they all got fed. He and Joy went out shopping together from time to time, but other than that, he too spent most of his time alone. He avoided coming to her room. The thing that they'd had together while Hester was alive was just a memory now. She'd snuck into his room on a couple of occasions, but he wasn't there.

The business was suffering, but Jade couldn't care less. They had enough money to live comfortable for the rest of their lives without having to lift a finger. Hester had wanted her to take over, and had trained her for it, but Jade had never really enjoyed working with real-estate.

Her dream had always been to travel. Her grandparents – who had started this business in the first place – had told her about their visits to strange and exciting places. They had sent postcards from all over the world, making Jade eager to join them. She never got a chance. On a trip to the Middle-east their plane crashed. For a long time, Hester had hoped that being werewolves they could have survived, but when the plane was recovered it became clear that the impact had been to great for anyone to make it.

Their wedding bands had been the only things that had made a identification possible, and Hester had kept them in a chain around her neck. Jade knew that the rings were possibly lost forever, but according to Joy, Chris Argent had mentioned that he – sometime in the future – would be willing to disclose where he'd buried Hester's body. Jade wanted those rings; she was sure that if she could find those rings, everything else would fall into place and she'd feel whole again.

She didn't care about the body itself. Mr Argent had probably made sure that she could never, ever be resurrected, so wherever she was buried, it would be better to leave her there. Disturbing a grave more than necessary would be disrespectful.

Jade looked at the clock. It was way passed midnight. Her sister was playing softly on the grand piano, and she wished that she could have joined her, but she couldn't remember how to play. It saddened her. The one thing in her life that she really enjoyed was gone.

-o-o-o-o-

Lydia didn't like being there, but Allison had urged her, and she couldn't come up with any good reason to decline the invitation. She really didn't want to decline, and hoped that the bad feelings would go away when the house was finished and occupied with live people. At the moment, her brain was bothered with all the deaths that had occurred here.

She knew the story about what had happened to the Hale-family. Allison's aunt did a terrible thing back then; targeting innocent people like that. The Hales had lived in peace for generations, and according to Mr Argent, they had protected the inhabitants of Beacon Hills.

Lydia never had anything to do with them in the past, although a couple of them went to her school. They didn't mingle much with the other students, but she vaguely remembered that they were polite and that they never got into any trouble.

Standing by the house now, she could feel their pain. It wasn't as bad as before, but she didn't have any urge to enter.

When Allison grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the house, Lydia struggled with herself. Maybe it would be better to just get it over with. If it was true; if Allison was going to move in, she would have to come visit.

Allison paused and turned around when she obviously noticed Lydia's reluctance. "What? Come on!" She took the few steps up on the porch and waved Lydia closer. "What's the problem?"

In a flash, Lydia could see multiple people huddled together, covering their face with anything they could find. The image got distorted by a cloud of smoke, before it went away again. She grabbed on to the railing and breathed heavily. Nobody, except for Allison seemed to have noticed.

Her friend jumped off the porch and wrapped her arms around her. "What happened? Are you not feeling well?" Allison's voice was loaded with concern. Lydia wiped her eyes and tried to compose herself. "I, It's just... too many deaths. They shouldn't have left the basement intact. I can't..."

The disappointment in Allison's face was impossible to ignore, but Lydia couldn't help herself. She shook her head. "I'm sorry. I can't go in there."

She could see that Allison got it, and she nodded in understanding. Then she rushed over to Derek and nudged him pretty hard in the side. Lydia couldn't hear everything she said, but a few tidbits floated through the air.. "...basement...Lydia...her visions...do something..." Allison gestured with her arms pointing first towards the house, then towards Lydia.

Derek turned and looked at her before he shook his head. "...nothing...I'm sorry..." He seemed to be thinking hard before he again shook his head. "...Deaton...later, Allison...sometime, but not now, I'm sorry." He'd raised his voice somewhat, but Lydia could still not hear it all.

The subject was put to rest after Derek followed Allison back to Lydia. He patted her shoulder. "I thought about picking the whole foundation apart, but it would be too expensive." He sighed. "It carries bad memories for me too, and I will try to do something about it, but it'll have to wait."

Allison cut in. "But you said that Dr Deaton could do something. Can I ask him?" She shifted her gaze between Lydia and Derek. "I mean...just to try." Derek shrugged. "Sure you can ask, but can we leave this for now. Nothing can be done now."

Lydia smiled at him. "I don't want to cause a lot of trouble. As long as I'm outside, I'm fine."

-o-o-o-o-

The atmosphere in Hester's house – or really Joy and Jade's house – was extremely depressing. Eric did his chores, but not much more. He didn't interact much with the others, except for when he and Joy went out to get food or other necessities. Troy spent most of his days outside in the yard. The only thing that was expected of him since he came to the house was to be available for Hester at all times. Without her, he seemed lost and confused.

Jade was starting to get back to her old self, but the brain injury was still bothering her somewhat. She was supposed to take over the business, but she wasn't able to concentrate on anything for an extended period of time. Joy tried to act normal, and she did look after the finances, but without any help from her sister, there wasn't much she could do.

They were well off; they would never have to lift a finger for the rest of their lives, but it couldn't continue like this. Troy's ranting about revenge had dissipated, but Eric knew that he was still thinking about it.

Not a day went by that Eric didn't miss Alex. He was smart, witty, and joyful to be around. Everything would have been different if he'd been there. When Eric took the car out in the evenings to go to Beacon Hills, it was a very selfish decision. He didn't tell the others where he went, they probably believed that he just needed some alone time.

It wasn't so far from the truth. It was an escape, but he told himself that he needed to learn more about their enemy. For the first couple of nights, he'd looked at them as such, but lately his view had changed. Derek's pack was like a family. A little weirdly put together, maybe, but a family nonetheless.

The laughs they shared, even the little bickering that occurred ever so often, were proof that these people had a genuine fondness for one another. Derek acted more like a big brother than a pack leader, but nobody seemed to challenge his position. The few times Alex was there, Eric had noticed that he'd already fund his position in the pack, and that he seemed to be well liked.

Eric didn't want to fight these guys anymore; he wanted to get to know them and hang out with them. He felt bad for having these thoughts, but with Hester and Alex gone there were nothing left for him in the mansion.


	64. Chapter 64

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex is searching for his wallet and finds something else. Allison seek help from Dr Deaton to cleanse the basement. Mr Stilinski gives his son some startling news. Troy discovers that Eric are spying on the Hale-pack and he's not happy. Stiles and Derek have a discussion about pack-leader business, and Derek's words are clearly not sitting well with Stiles.

Alex' wallet was missing, and it had been for a long time. There wasn't any money in it, but it did contain his drivers license and birth certificate. At the moment he had no proof of identity and no easy way to get it either. The wallet itself wasn't such a great loss, but he'd liked it.

He couldn't remember who he took it from, but of everything he'd stolen during his years on the street, that wallet was the only thing he'd kept. The tiny metal plate with the 'Dolce&Gabbana' logo had fallen off, but he'd stuck it inside for safe-keeping.

It wasn't the fact that it was a designer-wallet that had made him hold on to it. It was quite practical also. He'd tossed the credit-cards and spent the couple of hundred dollars he found inside. It also contained a cell-phone, and he and his friends made a few prank-calls before the owner disconnected it. He held on to the phone for a while, but with no extra money to get a phone plan, he later sold it.

It wasn't until he had to drive back and forth between the loft and the Hale-house that he started to search for it. If he ever got pulled over, he would need his drivers license. He'd practically turned the loft upside down, but it was clearly not there. He'd secretly even been in Derek's room and went through everything. He found a few interesting items in there, but no wallet.

He was trying to remember when he saw it last, when he suddenly realized where it could be. The only time he'd taken it with him since he was brought to the loft, was when he thought he had to go with Hester. Alex had looked though Isaac's car several times. He'd also asked Chris to look through the SUV, but came to the conclusion that he had to have lost it on the abandoned baseball field.

He knew he had to go there to look for it, and he'd asked Isaac to come with him.

-o-o-o-o-

Scott was surprised to see Allison at the clinic. She usually spent her days in the woods working on the house. "Hi! What are you doing here?" He smiled brightly and gave her a quick hug. "I just have to clean out these two cages, and then I'm having lunch. Are you here to join me?"

Allison shook her head. "No, uh, yeah, well, no. I need to speak with Deaton." She shrugged and gave him a lopsided smile. "Then we can have lunch." She looked around. "Where is he?"

Scott pointed to the surgery. "He's stitching up a dog. He'll be done soon." He opened one of the cages and pulled out the little blanket that covered the bottom. "What do you want with him?" He wrung up a cloth and started to wipe the inside of the cage as he waited for Allison to reply.

"I want him to cleanse the basement. He can do that, right?" She walked over to where Scott was standing, and looked into one of the cages occupied by a small cat. The cat hissed and scooted backwards. "I guess I'm not a cat-person anymore." She giggled a little, but moved away from it. "Sorry kitty, didn't mean to scare you."

They both turned around when Dr. Deaton came out from the surgery. "Are you done with the cage? He needs to sleep off the anesthesia. Oh, hi Allison." Scott hurried to finish cleaning the cage, before he went into the surgery and picked the dog up from the operating table. The doctor put a clean blanket in there, and held the door to the cage open for Scott to get the dog inside.

"You can take your lunch-break now if you want." He smiled at Allison. "Go with your girlfriend, I can fix the other cage." He was about to leave them to enter his office, when Allison cleared her throat. "Uh, I wonder... Doctor, can you..? I came to ask you a favor."

Deaton turned around and looked at her curiously. "Oh, you came for me." He chuckled a little as he gave Scott wink. "Shoot."

Scott had no idea if the doctor could help with Allison's problem. He didn't quite understand what her problem even was. Allison twisted her hands before she drew her breath quickly. "Well, you know the Hale-house?" She looked at Deaton, but didn't wait or him to confirm. She knew the answer. "The deaths that occurred there are bothering Lydia. ...and also Derek... somewhat."

Dr Deaton nodded as if he knew what was coming. He sighed heavily and rubbed his chin. "I don't know if I can help. You want me to rid the place of ghosts, right?"

Allison's eyes widened. "Ghosts?! Are there really ghosts?" She threw a peek at Scott, but he was just as baffled as her and couldn't come up with anything to say. The doctor laughed humorlessly. "No. No ghosts. It's just a saying. The bad vibes that a banshee can feel. We call it ghosts."

He shrugged and looked at Allison for the longest time. Then he shrugged again. "I don't know, but I'll look into it." He turned to enter his office. "Go and have lunch. I can't do anything right now, though."

Scott grabbed Allison's hand and squeezed it gently. "Come on." He tried to pull her towards the door, but she resisted. "We won't move in yet. There's no hurry. I appreciate it if you just think about it for now."

The doctor entered his office and turned briefly to look at them. "You're moving in?" He threw a glance at Scott. "I can probably come up with something, but I can't promise anything."

-o-o-o-o-

"I'm selling the house." Mr Stilinski had his back turned towards Stiles as he scooped coffee into the coffeemaker. Stiles had, for the first time in a long time spent the night in his own room. He was sitting by the kitchen table nibbling on a piece of toast. It was fairly early, but he'd crawled out of bed to have breakfast with his dad.

He almost choked on the bread when he heard the words. "Why? Sell the house. My home. Why?" It didn't make any sense. His dad grabbed the frying pan before he turned around. The bacon was still sizzling a little as he picked it out of the pan and put it on the two plates. "What's the point? You're moving out. I don't need all this space alone."

Stiles stared at him, but didn't manage to catch his eyes. His dad turned around again, and put the pan back on the stove before he cracked two eggs into it. "Is this a threat?" Stiles had raised his voice significantly. "Is this your way of keeping me from moving in with Derek?"

Mr Stilinski shook his head. He still had his back turned towards the table. "No it's not. If you don't move out now, you will do it sooner or later. I'm not getting any younger, and I just want a small place. A place that is easier to maintain."

There was a soreness in his voice that was impossible to ignore, and Stiles got up from the chair and went over to stand next to his dad. "You don't want to sell. I, I can't imagine not coming here to visit you. Maybe even spend the night."

He heard his dad chuckle a little. "Stiles, Stiles. I can't. The two of us barely manage to keep this place clean and tidy. We're not cut out for housework any of us. Why would I want to live here alone. It's nice that you would want to come over, but even if I get a smaller place there will always be room for you."

The eggs were done, and Mr Stilinski lifted the pan off the burner and put it on the hot-pad in the middle of the table. "It's also..." He paused as he pulled out a chair for himself. "I want you to be independent."

Stiles sat down and stared at his dad. "What do you mean?" He didn't get a reply immediately, so while he was waiting, he picked one of the eggs out of the pan and put it on his plate. His dad also served himself before he cleared his throat. "I want you to have your own money. I don't want you to have to live off of Derek. If I sell the house, you can get part of your inheritance."

He sighed as he picked up his knife. "Let's eat. It's not going to happen today or tomorrow or anytime soon." He grabbed a piece of toast and buttered it. Stiles shook his head. "But I have my college-fund and I'm working. I make my own money."

With a lopsided smile, his dad looked up. "It's hardly enough, and the college-fund is for, uh, for college." He reached his hand out and patted Stiles'. "Don't worry about it now. It's going to happen, but not yet. I just wanted you to know that there will come a time."

-o-o-o-o-o-

It took two weeks before Troy discovered what Eric was up to. The two of them had barely exchanged a word since Hester's death, so Eric got quite surprised when Troy entered the kitchen. The guy had rarely set his foot in this room lately, so Eric knew something was up.

"You are spying on them, aren't you?" Troy folded his arms across his chest. "Why didn't you tell us?" Eric tried to focus on his task. He didn't know what to say. "Eric! Come on! I followed you last night. What are you up to?"

Eric didn't know if Troy knew that he'd left almost every night, or if it was just a coincidence that he got caught. "I, I just wanted to... Don't worry about it, I needed to get out of this house for a while, and I ended up there." He didn't turn to look at Troy, but he heard the guy emit a sinister laugh.

"Fuck you. Be honest. I know that this is not the first time." He came up behind him and grabbed his forearm. With a quick movement he twisted Eric's arm up behind his back. "Ouch. I didn't do anything wrong." Eric tried to get out of the grip, but Troy was significantly stronger than him.

"Why would you take the old Accord? I know you well enough. If you were just going on a joyride you'd take the Merc." Troy pushed Eric against the counter. "You know that Alex would recognize it, so you used the one car he didn't know about."

Eric was surprised that Troy had been able to grasp the reason for taking the Accord. Maybe the guy wasn't so stupid after all. "I didn't think about that. I, the Mercedes was Hester's car, I didn't..." A quick tug on his arm made him scream out in pain.

"Don't lie. You have to tell us what you learned about them." Suddenly Troy let go of him and stepped back. "I'm going to tell Jade about this. Be prepared to explain yourself."

Eric rubbed his arm and watched as Troy left the kitchen. He continued preparing breakfast as he tried to come up with a story that they all would believe. If he had to lie, it had to be foolproof. There was a chance he could fool Troy, but the twins would be harder to convince. He wondered if they too knew about his nightly trips, or if Troy had discovered this all by himself.

-o-o-o-o-

"What if this doesn't work out?" Stiles was holding up the drywall while Derek dug out some screws from the box. "I mean, when we move in... what if we... We have to plan this properly." Derek wondered what Stiles was referring to. "I don't understand. What will not work out?"

Stiles looked away for a second before he turned back and met Derek's eyes. "We're a bunch of teenagers. We're spoiled. How can we keep a house." He sighed and continued. "I mean... we are not used to this. I'm messy. If my dad doesn't tell me to tidy my room, it's not going to happen."

Derek knew what Stiles was getting at, but he smiled and shook his head. "Don't worry about that. We'll find out. In a pack there has to be a leader. Every werewolf in the pack will listen and follow orders."

When Stiles rolled his eyes and huffed, Derek patted his shoulder. "You'll see. It will come natural. Any dispute will be solved by the pack-leader, and the others will feel compelled to listen and take directions."

Stiles did not seem convinced. "But I'm not a werewolf. I could feel compelled to disobey." He sported a lopsided smile. "I love you, but sometimes I don't agree with you. How could you order me around without putting our relationship in jeopardy?"

There was a real danger in that. Derek knew that Stiles would possible challenge anyone he disagreed with. "Nobody will order anyone around. We have to share the tasks, but ultimately a pack-leader will have the last word." He shrugged. "It'll not necessarily be me."

He could feel that Stiles startled a little. "What? But you... It's your pack. You are the leader." The confused expression on Stiles' face humored Derek, but he quickly composed himself. "We have three Alphas. If they want me as their leader, I'll do it, but you know that I screwed up before. I need unconditional support, and I'm not sure that I have it."

-o-o-o-o-o-

They were well on their way to finish this. Chris was standing in the front yard with a cup of coffee staring at the facade of the house. Except for some minor details here and there, it looked practically done.

The inside was still not even close to being finished, but they were getting there. It took Isaac and Alex forever to get the insulation in; Derek had demanded that the two of them did it, and it was hard to watch, because Chris had never seen anyone more clumsy.

At the moment, Dave the electrician, was wiring the ground floor, while Derek and Stiles was working on the drywall. Chris knew he had to leave for a couple of days, and he wondered if Derek was capable of handling this by himself for the time being.

The kitchen cabinets and other fixtures would arrive sometime next week, and Chris would be back in good time for that. He wasn't sure if they would be ready to install everything when it arrived, but with the doors and windows done, they could store it securely inside the house.

The fact that Allison was coming around and seemed to want to move in, pleased him more that he would have thought himself. His little girl was going to leave their home and start a new chapter of her life. It was sad, but Chris knew it would be for the best. He knew he couldn't possibly live with a werewolf. Even if it was his own daughter, it would be impossible for him to keep her safe in the long run.

-o-o-o-o-o-

After a short discussion with Stiles, the two of them were allowed to borrow the jeep. Alex had been driving the Toyota back and forth, but he hated that car. That's why when he and Isaac were going to look for the wallet, he demanded that they took another vehicle. He didn't trust the old wreck on the highway, an was happy that Stiles let them take his car.

They parked next to the overgrown residue of the bleachers, and Alex tried to retrace his own path to the middle of the field. He wasn't quite sure where he and Derek had stopped to meet Hester; he'd been too nervous to pay much attention to the surroundings. Isaac had been on the far end, so he was completely clueless. The field wasn't too big, but the weeds that covered it made it hard to get a good view of the ground.

Suddenly, Alex stumbled in something. A quick reaction from Isaac was the only thing preventing him from falling on his face. He looked down and saw the plate that told him they were standing on second base.

'You got to second base with me without having to chat me up first.' He could almost hear Hester's voice in his head and he turned to Isaac with a smile. "Here. We met her here. She died right there." He pointed to the ground, where they could see a few pieces of shredded fabric. "I think that it part of Allison's shirt."

The sun was shining brightly, and Alex saw something on the ground that reflected the sunlight. Isaac didn't notice; he was panning the surroundings, obviously looking for the wallet. He trailed away towards the outfield as Alex bent down to pick up the item he'd seen so many times before.

He got up and looked at the chain with the two rings dangling from his hand. "Isaac!" He grabbed the rings with his other hand and held it out. Isaac came closer and chucked a little. "Is this a proposal? Don't you think it's a little soon." He looked at the rings and was about to pick them up, when Alex wrapped his fingers around them with a scoff. "Yeah, you wish."

When he realized what he'd said, he could feel the burn on his face from the blush. He knew that Isaac had been joking, but Alex spotted a flash of sadness in his eyes when he gave him that hash reply.

"Sorry. It's just..." He opened his hand a little and looked down at the rings. He knew he had to give them to Jade and Joy. Isaac hurried to wrap an arm around him. "No, don't worry. It was just a joke. Whose are they?"

Alex closed his eyes and sighed. He wished that he'd have the guts to really ask that question, but he was pretty sure Isaac wasn't ready for it. "It's Hester's. We should bring it to the twins. It's a very important heirloom for them."

Isaac nodded slowly, before he suddenly let go and took a few quick steps to the left. "I think..." He bent down and picked something up. "Is this it?" He waved the wallet in the air, before he came back and handed it to Alex. "It is. Thanks. Now I'm a person again. Now I have proof of identity."

He opened it and slipped the chain with the two rings inside, before he picked out his drivers license and held it up. "We can go now. I don't like it here. Can I drive back?" Isaac smiled and nodded. "Sure." Then he grabbed Alex's wrist and pulled his hand towards his face to look at the license more closely. "You're twenty-one?" Alex startled a little. "I am?" He was just as surprised himself. He hadn't celebrated a birthday since he was fourteen.

"Two weeks ago. How could you not know?" Isaac shook his head and pulled him into an embrace. "I turn eighteen soon. We should have a party and celebrate this together."

Alex got a little thrown. He didn't know that Isaac was underage. He'd been so sure they were about the same age. Thinking about it, he realized that he should have known. Isaac was starting his senior year in high school. Not that it mattered so much to him, but he did worry that Isaac wasn't ready for a long term commitment. He tried to push the worries away. A few years wouldn't make a difference. If it was meant to be it was meant to be. The werewolf in him knew that he was bonded with Isaac, and if Isaac felt the same way it wouldn't matter.

With their hands laced together they walked towards the jeep. Alex looked up at his boyfriend. "We can do that. We can have a party." He hesitated for a second before he continued. "We can do it every year from now on." The quick squeeze on his hand and the shy smile on Isaac's face told him that there was hope, and he decided not to pursue it any further for now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will have a new chapter ready tomorrow. I promise.


	65. Chapter 65

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stiles and Scott are having a casual conversation about pack business. Stiles is fishing for clues to how the future will look with three alphas in the house. Allison is dealing with the same problems on her own. Alex and Isaac are at the house cleaning up when they hear an intruder. They don't manage to catch him, but Alex thinks he knows who it is. Stiles decides to teach Derek a lesson. Completely out on a limb, he's doing something that could change the relationship. For me and for some of my readers, it's overdue.

Stiles sat down on the staircase and grabbed the water-bottle Scott handed him. He looked at his friend as Scott tried to get comfortable on the bare floor. "This is coming together fast. It won't be long until... people can move in." Scott panned the room before he threw Stiles a lopsided smile.

Scott had never revealed his own thoughts about moving in, and Stiles was curious. "Are you one of those people? Will you live here?" He knew that Allison was seriously considering it, and wondered if the two of them would share that corner room.

"I don't know. I don't think my mom is going to let me." Scott shrugged. "Although, she knows that she can't really stop me." He drew a circle in the dust on the floor. "She doesn't understand how werewolves bond. She thinks that we're too young to know, but me and Allison are destined to be together for life."

Stiles thought about what Derek had told him earlier and wondered if Scott would ever challenge Derek's position. That Scott and Allison were meant for each other was of less concern. He'd learned enough about werewolves now to know that if the two of them wanted to be together forever, it would be impossible to keep them apart.

"Maybe you want your own pack. You and Allison could possibly..." He didn't get a chance to finish the sentence before Scott started laughing. "No." He hitched out. "I could never be a leader." He did his best to compose himself. "I may be a true alpha, but that doesn't mean anything else than the fact that I have the powers. I'm not a leader. I don't ever want to be one." He chuckled a little. "If I decide to come live here, I will accept the fact that I have to submit to somebody else's leadership."

'Somebody else's.' Stiles noticed clearly that Scott didn't mention Derek's name. "Who's leadership? It is Derek's pack." He felt a little annoyed on his boyfriend's behalf and decided to push Scott a little on the subject.

His friend kept drawing patterns in the dust and seemed unwilling to reply. Stiles had to nudge him to get him to look up. "It's Derek's house. It's his pack. He is the pack-leader." He could hear that his own voice had an unwanted edge to it. Scott stared at him for the longest time before he drew his breath. "I know, but Derek..." He paused and shook his head. Stiles knew that he was thinking about Derek's previous screw-ups.

He knew that Scott wanted Allison to step up, but that wasn't likely to happen. She hadn't showed any urge to challenge Derek. If she did, Stiles worried about his own position in the pack. He and Allison were friends, but there had been a few confrontations in the past. He worried that he'd be like a pariah.

Derek would always protect him, but as a human, Stiles would have no say in any pack-business if Allison decided to 'run for office'. With Derek in charge, he was more like a secretary of state. Derek trusted his judgment and often relied on his wits.

"I think we're fine like this. Nothing has to change." Stiles cocked his head and smiled at Scott. He didn't receive a smile back, but Scott gave him an almost invisible nod. "Maybe you're right." He got up from the floor, and walked over to the window. "We're fine for now."

Stiles got up also and went to stand next to his friend. They could see Allison and Derek outside. The two of them were holding the blueprints, pointing and gesturing. It looked like they were arguing about something. Stiles couldn't hear a word, and he worried.

Suddenly, Allison threw her head back and started to laugh. Derek stared at her for a second, before he joined in. Stiles sighed in relief and Scott obviously noticed. "Relax, they were just talking about how to soundproof Isaac and Alex' room."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

The full moon had come and gone without any problems. Allison had felt completely in control, although she'd made sure to have the perfume-bottle within reach at all times. She'd discovered that she didn't really need it anymore. The memory of the scent was enough.

In the beginning, it had been a little disturbing that she saw her mothers face in front of her when she dabbed it on, but that image had gone. She still thought about her every day, but she didn't need it to stay in control.

That her mom killed herself to avoid becoming a werewolf, still bothered Allison. The fact that Allison herself took to this transformation so easily, felt a little like a betrayal. That her dad supported her unconditionally helped a lot, but she couldn't shake the fact that she'd never really wanted to take her own life. As a former hunter, it was expected of her. According to the code, she should have committed suicide.

She tried her best to push those thoughts away. In a weird and twisted way, she felt happier and more whole than she'd ever felt before. The strangest thing was that the conflicts inside her head didn't take away the feeling of joy in her new life as a werewolf.

Sooner or later, she had to make a decision; or rather, many decisions. Subconsciously, she knew that some of them were taken already. She looked at that room as hers and Scott's. Alone, in the dead of night, she had secretly made sketches of it, trying to picture how it would look when it was all done.

Derek seemed to have picked up on it, and acted like it was a done deal. He frequently wanted her opinion on things he and Chris had talked about regarding the house, and he always took her views into consideration.

The fact that he never seemed to ask Scott the same questions, was strange; she knew that Derek wanted him in the house also.

A bigger issue was in the wind, and Allison knew she was in the middle of it. Without being direct about it, both Scott and her dad had insinuated that they wanted her to have her own pack. Scott had, in the heat of the moment one night, suggested that she'd be a better leader than Derek, but had later denied ever mentioning it.

She knew perfectly well that Stiles didn't want Derek to step down, while Derek himself seemed quite indifferent to the thought. Allison knew she had the potential, but she didn't want to disturb the dynamics of pack. At the moment, they were doing just fine.

She was well aware of the fact that she'd screwed up big time on that baseball field, and only luck prevented a much worser outcome. Before that, she'd had felt that she'd had Alex' unconditional support, but lately he'd seemed a little distant.

Both him and Isaac didn't oppose her moving in, but she worried that they wouldn't take to her as a pack-leader. Derek had a plan, and they were all trying to execute it to the best of their abilities. If push came to shove, she'd deal with it, but for now she'd concentrate on finishing the house.

Whatever happened later could be dealt with later. Fighting for power would never be an issue. She'd support Derek for as long as he wanted it. She suddenly realized that her reluctance to even be in a pack had diminished. She was part of this one now, and it felt completely okay.

She also realized that it would be Derek's choice. He was the one who had to make the decision. The rest of the pack would support that decision, no matter what. Allison knew that she'd support it, and it surprised her. If Derek wanted to continue as a leader of this pack for the foreseeable future, she'd stand behind him.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Alex was possibly more excited about the kitchen than he was with the bedroom. He walked around in there touching the walls. He let his fingers brush over the holes in the drywall where electric cords stuck out. "It's like... It's like almost done." He smiled and threw a peek out the window as he seemed to pretend standing by a counter, kneading an imaginary dough. "It'll be a nice view. I can see who comes and goes, and I can wave to them." He lifted his hand and wiggled his fingers as he he was actually waving to someone.

Isaac rolled his eyes. "Almost done? Yeah right." He looked around in there. He and Alex had a very different view on what 'almost done' was. "The floor needs tiles, the walls has to be painted..." He threw his hands out. "Not to mention the cabinets and the light-fixtures, and the appliances..."

Alex practically danced across the floor, and he nudged Isaac gently with the back of his hand. "You have no imagination. Can't you see it before you?" He stopped and panned the room again. "And the best part is that we... uh, we did part of it, of this."

After another quick round through the kitchen, Alex trailed off to inspect the rest of the house. The two of them were supposed to tidy and sweep before they would start painting tomorrow. Isaac knew that Chris wasn't too keen on having them help out, but Derek had demanded that they took part.

For the first time in a long time, Isaac and Alex were alone at the house. Chris was gone on a business trip. Scott and Allison obviously wanted to take advantage of the fact that they had the Argent-house to themselves, and hadn't been at the site all day. Stiles had the evening off, and wanted to spend it alone with Derek.

The second floor was still far away from being done. In the hall that ran east-west in a ninety degree angle on the staircase, they had started to put up the drywall. The doors to the different rooms were installed, but they didn't need to open them to get in.

Alex slipped between the vertical beams that would later be covered, and entered the room that was meant for Allison. The light from the moon was shining through the newly installed window, making a crocked grid-pattern on the floor.

"How long will it take before we can move in?" Alex walked over to the window and stared out. "An how come her room is bigger than ours?" He turned around and gave Isaac a lopsided smile. Isaac didn't really know the answer to any of those questions, so he just shrugged as he moved closer to Alex.

They stood there quietly for a little while, until a loud bang from downstairs startled them both. Alex' eyes widened and he grabbed Isaac's hand. "What was that?" The whisper was almost inaudible, but Isaac still lifted his hand and put his forefinger to his lips. "Shh." They held their breath, waiting for another sound.

After what seemed like an eternity, Isaac moved across the floor with stealth. He was still holding on to Alex' hand, but had to let go when Alex didn't follow him. Suddenly he he heard a faint thump. It sounded like it could come from outside, and he rushed towards the stairs and looked down on the ground floor before he slowly descended.

"Wait?" Alex' hushed whisper made him stop, but he didn't avert his gaze from the floor below. Soon, he had Alex' hand in his and together they continued down the stairs.

They were halfway down when they heard footsteps on the gravel in the front yard. Somebody was running away. They stared at each other quickly before they took the rest of the stairs in two quick steps and rushed towards the front door.

The yard was empty, except for the Toyota. Isaac was about to jump off the porch to run after whoever it was that had been lurking around the house, but quickly realized that he didn't know which direction to go. Alex didn't move. He cocked his head and sniffed into the air before he looked at Isaac with wide eyes. "Eric? I can't be, but it... No, no. Why would he be here?"

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Stiles was pissed off. He was pacing the living room after Derek went to bed. The two of them had had their first big argument since forever, and his boyfriend had walked off. Not only that. He'd been laughing about it.

He couldn't understand how Derek could take the whole pack-leader discussion so lightly. He obviously didn't understand how important it was for Stiles. The 'I'm gonna stand by you, regardless,' and 'this will not affect you I any way,' wasn't good enough for Stiles.

He knew he was being selfish, but as the only human in this pack he had to look out for himself. He knew for sure that being the mate of the pack-leader would give him an advantage. He needed that advantage.

'For now', was also words he didn't like much. He knew Allison well enough. She wasn't the kind of person who'd submit easily. Human-Allison could be quite intimidating; werewolf-Allison could possibly be off the charts.

Derek had to stand his ground and show everybody that he'd be the perfect pack-leader. His wishy-washy behavior regarding this was not particularly comforting. Stiles had tried to make him understand, but it had resulted in nothing. Well, it had resulted in Derek deciding to call it a night.

Stiles didn't want to sleep on the couch, but he didn't want to lose this battle and come crawling into bed with Derek either. He struggled with himself when an idea hit him. It was a bit far fetched, but if he could go into that room without admitting defeat it would be worth a try.

He snuck into the room even though he knew Derek would hear him regardless. Then he tiptoed towards the dresser and pulled out the bottom drawer. Over his shoulder he could see that Derek scooted over a bit to make room for him, but he didn't turn around.

With extreme caution he pulled a few items out as he keep an eye on Derek. The clang of metal against metal made his boyfriend turn his head. "What are you doing? Can't you just come to bed?" He sounded sleepy, and soon he'd gone back to his original position, almost flat on his stomach.

'Perfect!' Stiles thought to himself as he crawled onto the bed. He wasn't quite sure how to do this, but after a hurried assessment, he leaned in. Derek was half asleep and Stiles acted fast. In one quick movement he manged to close the handcuffs around Derek's left wrist and attach it to the headboard.

The reaction was instantaneous. Derek pulled on the cuffs and stared at Stiles wide-eyed. "What?!" Stiles cocked his head and batted his lashes. "If you could just give me your other hand, I'll explain it all." If it was out of surprise or if it was any other reason, Stiles didn't know, but Derek stretched out his free arm for him.

Spread out on the bed, face down, with both hands securely cuffed to it, Derek said something, but the pillow muffled it somewhat. "What? I can't hear you." Stiles removed the blanket, and as he suspected, Derek was buck naked under there. "You know I can come loose if I want to." Derek lifted his head off the pillow little so Stiles would be able to hear him.

"I know, but you're not gonna." Stiles looked at the item in his hand. He'd seen it several times before, but it had never been in use. The label was still attached, and he ripped it off as he drew his breath quickly. "Derek! Now you're gonna listen." The thin leather thongs were swaying a little from the thick solid handle as Stiles lifted his hand.

Derek jumped as the whip hit his buttocks with a smacking sound. It wasn't a hard rap, but it left a few faint red marks on the skin. "What the hell are you up to?" Derek sounded more surprised than angry. "What is that?"

Stiles chuckled a little as he let the thongs of the whip brush over Derek's back. "You know what it is." He lifted it again and after a split second of hesitation, he slapped Derek's ass again. This time he used considerably more force, causing a scream of pain from his boyfriend. "Seriously?" Derek huffed out, but he didn't try to come loose.

After two more quick raps, a pattern of red stripes had started to form on the fleshy part of Derek's butt. They faded quickly, and Stiles cursed a little about the werewolf-healing-powers. "You," a quick slap followed, "will," another slap. "never," Stiles let the whip hit the skin between every word. "walk, away, in, the, middle, of, an, argument."

Between the seven and the eight slap, Derek started to moan. At the tenth, he growled into the pillow, but he didn't utter a coherent word. The last time Stiles lifted his arm, he put all the strength he had into it before he slammed the nine knotted thongs onto Derek's ass. When the skin broke and blood started seeping out, Stiles got a little scared by himself. He was enjoying this too much. His dick was obviously enjoying it even more, and he was forced to unbutton his pants.

Derek was breathing heavily and he mumbled something against the pillow. Stiles leaned over and grabbed his hair. It wasn't easy to get a good grip on the short strains, but he managed to lift Derek's head up a little. "What did you say?"

Derek shook his head, causing Stiles to loose the grip. His head fell back onto the pillow, but he turned it and thew a peek at Stiles though the corner of his eye. "I said..." He panted a little before he continued. "Fuck me already. That's what you want, right?"

It hadn't been his initial intention, but the almost pleading words instantly changed that. Stiles wasn't sure if he should do it though. He didn't want Derek to think that he could order him around. "You'd like that wouldn't you?" He placed a sloppy kiss on Derek's back before he straightened himself up. The wounds that he'd inflicted were completely gone, and the only proof that they had been there was some coagulated blood.

He watched as Derek bent his knees and lifted his butt up. Stiles' dick was throbbing and he knew he had to cave in, but he still felt the urge to defy. With Derek's asshole well exposed, Stiles twirled the whip in his hand before he changed his position to find the right angle. With a well placed slap, the thongs hit the asshole. Derek's scream was unnerving, and he pulled hard on the cuffs.

Instantly, Stiles wanted to comfort him. He let go of the whip and peppered Derek's buttocks with kisses. "Sorry, I..." A grunt from Derek made him stop. "Don't... Don't be sorry, this is...oh God. Stiles, I didn't know you had it in you. Will you please... just please..."


	66. Chapter 66

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The basement are being cleansed. Stiles is still a little pissed, but for other reasons than the day before. Alex shares a long kept in secret with Isaac. Allison makes up her mind about the move and the whole pack business. Alex and Stiles shares a moment that satisfies them both. Their stalker is finally revealed, but not for everybody.

It was early morning and still quite dark. There was a glow in the east, foretelling that it wouldn't be that long until the sun rose. He went to the house alone. Not only because he preferred to work without any onlookers, but any werewolf nearby could possibly be in danger during this particular cleansing.

Derek had given him the key to get in. After looking around approvingly, and a little bit surprised about how far they'd gotten, he descended the stairs to the basement. There, he put his bag on the bottom stair and dug out everything he'd needed.

Dr Deaton spread the chips of mountain ash and the wolfsbane petals all over the floor. Werwolves had died in here, and he had to force the spirits out with what he had. He uttered a few hash words, that for anyone listening in would sound like gibberish, before he lit candles and placed them in the corners of the room.

After another tirade, Deaton sunk to his knees and threw a lit mach on the floor. It exploded into flames, but he stayed put in his place, mumbling silently as he held his hands out to the side as if he was holding the flames away from his own body.

A couple of minutes later the fire died down by itself. No traces of it were left except for a few singed petals and the ashes of the burnt wood. He took a few steps towards the stairs and closed his eyes. He wasn't quite sure – Lydia was the only one who could tell – but he thought he'd managed.

He knew that Stiles would be there soon. Before the place was completely cleaned up, no werewolf would be able to enter the basement, so he had called Stiles in to help. It was important to remove every little speck before Derek and the others arrived.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Stiles stared at Derek with a frown on his face. His boyfriend was stretching out after a short work-out session in the morning. There were no indications that the flogging last night bothered him. When Derek slapped Stiles, or scratched him, or whatever little thing he did to inflict pain, Stiles could always feel it long after; sometimes for days. He didn't mind. It was something very arousing about touching the scars Derek had left.

He had to get up insanely early because he'd promised Dr Deaton that he'd help him with the cleansing of the basement. The fact that he hardly got enough sleep didn't help much on his mood.

When Derek came over to the couch, he obviously noticed Stiles' disgruntled expression. "What's up? Still tired and grumpy?" He grabbed the glass of water that was standing on the table and emptied it in one big gulp before he again addressed Stiles. "Come on. Tell me what's wrong."

With a heavy sigh, Stiles looked away. He knew it was silly to be annoyed by this. "Uh, nothing. It's just... nothing." He put on a fake smile as he turned back to Derek, and it was perfectly clear that Derek didn't believe him.

"Okay, okay. I'm being silly, but it would have been nice if you wouldn't heal so fast." He could feel the blush, but there shouldn't be any secrets between them, so he continued. "I wanted your ass to burn, so you'd be reminded about what happened last night."

Derek rolled his eyes and chuckled a little. "Sorry about that, but do not ever believe I will forget." He sat down and patted his crotch quickly. "Last night's event will be a treasured memory for me till the day I die."

Stiles bit the inside of his lip an cocked his head. "Really? That special?" He suddenly wasn't so pissed anymore. Derek nodded. "Yeah, really. You better believe it." He seemed a little reluctant to continue, but then he threw his hands out an sighed. "I have never been with any human that would have even dared to try."

With a scoff, Stiles got up and moved towards the bathroom. "You had to mention it. Please just remind me of how many it was before me?" He opened the door before he turned around and looked at Derek. "I didn't mean that. Don't tell me."

In two quick steps, Derek was standing in front of him. "Are you going to make this another argument?" He grabbed Stiles' hand and lifted it to his lips. "We've been through this before, there's no need for you to be jealous."

Stiles ripped his hand loose and patted Derek's cheek. "I know, but I might need to punish you for it at one point in time." He gave Derek a crocked smile as he was about to enter the bathroom. "I mean..." He didn't get to continue before he had Derek's forefinger on his lips. "Don't. I know what you mean. And you know... I wasn't aware of the fact that punishment could feel so good."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Isaac and Alex were painting the walls in the kitchen. It went pretty well; Chris would have been proud. Alex had insisted on it being light blue, and since nobody else really cared, he'd got his will. Derek had also let him pick the tiles for the floor and he'd chosen a checkerboard pattern in black and white marble. Alex' initial plan was to go with vinyl tiles, but Derek had put his foot down and demanded that it had to be ceramic or stone.

It wasn't a secret why Alex had these specific ideas. He'd shared willingly when the others asked him. "My happiest memories from childhood was when I helped my mom in the kitchen. It was blue with black and white linoleum tiles."

He'd previously shared tidbits from his childhood with Isaac, but this was new. "My stepfather redecorated it when I was around six. He took my childhood away in so many ways at that point."

Isaac didn't think Alex had been sexually abused by his step-dad, but the way he talked about his childhood being gone was a little suspicious. "What did he do? I mean... did he..." Isaac didn't manage to say the words, but Alex understood what he meant. "No, he never... although spanking a little boy's bare butt could for some people be perceived as sexual abuse."

Alex talked about it without emotion. It seemed like it didn't bother him anymore, but that night he'd cried himself to sleep. It happened a couple of weeks ago, and hadn't been mentioned since.

As they stood there together painting, Isaac noticed that Alex was wiping his eyes ever so often. He wasn't sure if he should ask, but when his boyfriend suddenly slumped down on the floor and covered his face with his hands, Isaac rushed over.

"I miss her so much. She chose to stay with him, but I still love her." Alex swallowed hard and seemed to try to compose himself. Isaac sat down with him and wrapped an arm around him. "I understand. She's your mom; your blood." He knew exactly how Alex felt. Even if Isaac was fine getting away from his father, he still missed him somewhat. There had been moments where the two of them had been happy, and he'd really never wished him dead.

Alex leaned his head on Isaac's shoulder. "I want to find her. I don't know if I want to see her, but I want to know if she's okay." Isaac stroke his back. "Did she even look for you?" He knew that question could bring out more tears, but Alex just sighed. "Yeah, Yeah, she did. I'm one of those missing children that was never found."

He started get up from the floor. "We should continue. I'm sorry." Alex walked over to the window. "I can sew curtains also." He huffed audibly. "She taught me that too." He turned around slowly. "She reported me missing, but it took more than five years before I knew." With a lopsided smile, he grabbed the paintbrush and stared down at it. "A customer recognized me from a flier and wanted to save me, but I threatened to tell everybody how he met me, so he let it go."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Allison was on her way to the loft with a few things Alex wanted to borrow. They were planning a birthday party and he wanted to make a cake, but Derek's kitchen missed a few essential items. She didn't know exactly what he needed, so she'd brought the whole content of her mom's 'cake-making-drawer.'

On her way she thought about how the future would look for her, and she wondered how this pack-leader-business worked. If an alpha created a new werewolf, they'd be connected and he'd be part of the alpha's pack unless he chose to walk away. In this particular pack, it was different. The only one left of Derek's old pack was Isaac. With Isaac and Alex attached by the hip, and the fact that they 'saved' him from Hester, Alex was probably bonded with them. Stiles was a totally different story. He was human and didn't really count.

At the moment, she and Scott were lone wolves. The fact that they both were Alphas made it possible, but a pack would give them more strength and stability. Turning someone in order to build a pack went against all her instincts at the moment, but she knew that that could change.

Moving in to the house could possibly make her part of the pack, but she didn't really feel it. It had to be something supernatural that triggered the pack-mentality, but she was unable to grasp it at the moment.

She knew for sure that Scott would follow her lead. If she decided to break loose and form a new pack, he'd be with her for sure. As things were now, she didn't really want that either. Her father and Stiles were the only ones nagging about it, and she suspected that as humans, they didn't know how exactly werewolves bonded with one another.

Not that Allison felt completely educated about it either, but something was tugging her towards this house and this pack.

She was very aware of the complications in hers and Derek's relationship. When they first met, she was a hunter, and was determined to take him down. She was pretty sure that Derek would never forget that. If he'd hold it against her was another story. It didn't seem like he carried a grudge, and he had been the one who'd saved her from herself.

She thought about the room that they build especially for her, and she knew she wanted it. It was going to happen. If that meant she was in Derek's pack, so be it. They could live there together, all six of them. It would be like a normal household where everybody had to do their chores. If anything came up that would require the pack-leader to intervene, she'd help Derek solve it.

Arriving at the loft, she called to let them know she was there, and as she entered through the front door, Alex came running down the stairs to help her. He was always so sweet and friendly, and he treated her with the utmost respect, but she knew he was scared of her. She'd killed Hester with her bare hands right in front of him, and it had to have left an impact.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

It was still a couple of days until the party, but Alex was already working on the menu. He had so far denied any help and was ruling the kitchen with determination. When Stiles snuck in there and tried to grab a couple of olives, he almost got hit with a spatula. Alex apologized, and he let him take them, but it was perfectly clear that he wasn't happy about the interference.

Derek was at the Hale-house and had been for most of the day, so he didn't get to enjoy this side of Alex. Stiles had to admit that it was kind of funny watching him. It was also quite astounding how he managed to do several things at once. A dough was rising in a bowl by the window; he was stirring the ground beef that was sizzling in a pan on the stove, and in a big pot he had tomato-sauce simmering.

Ever so often, he dipped a teaspoon in the sauce and tasted it, before he threw in some spices and stirred it again. Recipes was lying around everywhere, but he didn't seem to look at them at all. Piles of fresh vegetables and fruits covered a good portion of the counter, and in between them there were jars of stuff that Stiles didn't know what was.

What Stiles found most surprising, was that in between all of this, Alex managed to make lunch for Derek and Chris. He packed it in a small cooler and shipped Isaac off with it, before he continued cooking without missing a beat.

Stiles had to go to work in an hour, and he'd wondered if he would get a bite to eat before he left. After the spatula-incident, he was a little worried that he'd have to starve. He worked at a pizza place so he could get something there, but it would have been nice to get a sandwich right now.

Alex seemed quite relaxed at the moment. The meat was obviously done. The sauce was doing okay by itself, and the dough wasn't ready yet. Stiles decided to take a chance. "Um, Alex, I wonder..." He walked over to the kitchen, but stopped before he came too close. "Can I make a sandwich or something? I'm kinda hungry."

Alex dug an ovenproof pan out of the cupboard before he turned briefly. "Hungry? Give me a second." He bent down and looked into the oven. "I guess they're done." Stiles didn't even know that Alex had something in the oven too, and he got even more amazed by the guy's ability to multitask.

"I made these just to try. You can be my taster." Alex put on a mitt and pulled a pan out of the oven. It was just small slices of bread, and Stiles got a little disappointed. Alex arranged some of them on a plate before he went to the fridge. "Just sit. I'll bring it to you."

A few minutes later, Stiles had a plate in front of him. Some of the toasted bread had tomatoes mixed with herbs, and the rest of them were generously covered with some meat and topped with something that looked like chopped peaches.

It smelled delicious and he could feel his mouth water. "It's prosciutto." Alex pointed to the meat. "An Italian cured ham." Stiles didn't really care. He wanted to taste it right now. "Thanks, I'll let you know what I think."

He tried the tomato mix first and did not get disappointed. It was like a small feast in his mouth. The herbs and spices were in perfect harmony, and he could also recognize the nutty flavor from the olive oil. He was more skeptical about the Italian ham – with peaches?

The blend of sweet fruit and salty meat was surprisingly good. It was a very unfamiliar flavor, but he liked it a lot. "This is... Alex you are amazing. This is so good. Thank you."

-o-o-o-o-

Eric snuck out the backdoor and headed towards the treeline. He had done something terrible, but the state of things made it unlikely that anyone would find out. The motorcycle stood where he'd left it. It wasn't brand new, but it was in good shape and would take him to Beacon Hills in no time.

With full access to the accounts, he'd withdrawn enough money to buy it; pretty sure it would take time before anyone questioned the missing funds.

Troy had obviously not told the girls about his nightly trips to Beacon Hills yet, and until that happened, he would keep going there. Troy would possibly be fooled by the fact that he didn't take a car this time, but Eric waited for almost an hour watching the mansion to see if he was followed.

When he was sure, he walked the bike several hundred yards before he dared to start it up. He'd picked this particular bike because it was quiet, but he still didn't want to risk being heard.

In the woods in Beacon Hills, he'd found a narrow path that led almost to the back of the house. With the motorcycle, he could park fairly close, but he chose to cut the engine long before he could see the site.

He'd told himself that he was spying on Derek Hale's pack in order to learn more about their enemy, but it wasn't even close to the truth anymore. Many nights - including the last couple - he'd come there long after the pack had left.

With the doors and windows installed, it wasn't so easy to get into the house, but he'd managed to find a way. Slowly sneaking through the shrubbery, he tried not to make a sound. He knew they had discovered that someone was spying on them, and worried that they were guarding the house.

He got startled when he heard someone whistle a familiar tune. He remembered it as being one of the pieces Joy used as a warm up when she played the piano. He froze in his steps and held his breath. The whistling stopped. "Eric! I know you're there."

-o-o-o-o-o-

Alex wasn't sure if it was the best idea he'd ever had, but he needed to know. Sneaking out in the middle of the night wasn't easy. He knew that if Isaac or Derek were awake, they'd hear him leave. He tried to be as quiet as possible as he descended the stairs and excited the building. He didn't dare to take a car, so he ran all the way to the Hale-house.

The car that he'd seen so many times by the crossroad wasn't there, and he wondered if he'd picked the wrong night. He found a spot on the porch where the light from the waning moon wouldn't hit him, and he waited.

About twenty minutes later, he heard the purr from a motorcycle engine. It came closer, but got cut off long before he could see it. In the quiet of the night, he could hear a small sound as the kickstand hit the gravel. The person moved with great stealth, but Alex could still hear him. The faint rustle in the leaves and ever so often a creak when a foot stepped on a tree-root, told him that he was closing in. He would never have noticed these sounds if he didn't know that someone was coming.

Alex wasn't aware of it himself, but he suddenly realized that he was whistling. A small gasp from behind him made him stop. He didn't know who it was but decided to take a chance. "Eric! I know you're there."

It took a few moments before he saw the outline of a character emerge from the bushes. The next second he recognized Eric and sighed in relief. "It is you. Thank God." A little worried about the reason for the visit, he decided to stay put just in case.

Eric moved forward until he was clearly visible in the moonlight. "I've missed you. I was curious about your new life." He gave Alex crocked smile. "I'm not here to cause any trouble." Alex cleared his throat. He was on the brink of crying, but managed to hold it back. "I missed you too." He got up and jumped off the porch before he ran over and threw himself into Eric's arms. "I'm so happy here, but I'm thinking about you every day."

For a few minutes, they just held on to each other before Alex pulled back. "But why? Have you been here many times?" Eric nodded as he walked over to the porch and sat down. "Yeah, many, many times." He drew his breath and exhaled audibly. "Troy knows. This is possibly the last time I can come."

Alex patted his friend's shoulder. "No! Don't say that. We're brothers." He scooted closer. "I have a peace offering." Digging through his pocket he, found the necklace and presented it to Eric. "It's what's left of her. I'm sure the girls would want it."


	67. Chapter 67

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> My longest chapter so far. It's about the party, and it all happens in a day. I realized that it is very Alex centric, and for those of you who are not too fond of OC's: I'm sorry, but it had to be like this. Eric shows up unexpectedly, and to Isaac's frustration, he stays longer than planned. Finding enough chairs for the guests is not easy. They almost make it, but Lydia steps up and solves the seating problem. Scott's gift makes both Isaac and Alex a ittle teary-eyed, but it's Isaac's gift to his boyfriend that really turn the waterworks on.

Initially, they'd planned to have the party at the loft, but with the ground floor of the Hale-house being so close to getting finished, Derek suggested a change of venue. Isaac didn't really care; gathering his friends for a party was more important than the actual place, and he didn't really get a say regardless.

That he'd suggested this in the first place was not in his nature. Birthday parties had not been a particularly fond memory from his past. The only reason for wanting this was to get a chance to celebrate with Alex. If the two of them could have done this alone, he would have been fine with it, but Alex wanted to go all out and turn it into a big event.

Slightly self-conscious about it all, Isaac had tried to tone it down a bit, but Alex was determined. When Derek gave him a go-ahead, there were no way Isaac could stop him. He soon realized that there was nothing else to do than to cave in to his boyfriend's insanity. The last couple of days, Alex had been completely absorbed with this, and Isaac had felt like he was just an onlooker.

There was only one thing that made him feel good about it. This party could be a happy memory. Isaac needed happy memories. Finding Alex had changed him in so many ways, and if this could give them a mutual memory to live on for the rest of their lives, it would be worth the embarrassment of being the center of attention for a few hours.

He'd for a long time wanted to tell Alex about his feelings for him; that he was his one true love, but fear had held him back. The constant worry that Alex didn't share the feeling of being bonded for life, had kept him from revealing his own thoughts about it.

Their young age was also an issue. Isaac didn't know if it was possible to find a soul-mate so early in life. He knew that as werewolves they could – much easier than any human – just kind of know from the first glance, but they were both so inexperienced in love.

There were indications that Alex felt the same way. Little things that made Isaac believe that Alex was just as bonded, but also just as worried about the future. At the baseball field he had said something about celebrating together for years to come, and that sounded promising.

But Isaac also vividly remembered the first time they ever met; back when they had Alex locked up in the basement. Isaac had suggested that they'd killed him. He wondered if Alex also remembered this. In Hester's house he'd also been close to killing him, but something had held him back. It wasn't only Scott's reluctance to take lives that had saved Alex that time. Isaac had already then felt the bond, although it took a few weeks for him to come to terms with it.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Eric looked around the room. Alex didn't really own much stuff. He'd come to them with barely any luggage; he had a backpack with some clothes, an extra pair of shoes, and a small bag with a few items in. Some of it was drug paraphernalia, and got tossed out immediately. Most of the clothes were hand-me-downs from the Salvation Army or something. They were so worn, that Hester decided to get rid of them too. A piece of cloth had been saved after Alex almost fell apart when he couldn't find it. He'd explained that it had been an apron at one point in time, but it looked more like a rag with dirty, frayed lace around the edge. It was now tucked in between the clothes Eric pulled out of the dresser.

Hester had been quite generous, and Alex had – just like Eric and Troy – been equipped with a whole new wardrobe when he came to the mansion. She'd also bought them little trinkets and decorations for their rooms. Alex hadn't asked for much, so there wasn't a lot to pack. Eric looked for the wallet, but figured that Alex must have brought it already. He was pretty much carrying it on him at all times.

As Eric emptied one drawer at the time, stuffing the clothes into a big duffel bag, he found some things that technically didn't belong to Alex: There was that little travel kit with make-up that Jade had been so sure she'd misplaced herself, a folder with a random selection of Joy's sheet music, one of Hester's countless handbags, and Eric's own Mickey Mouse T-shirt. He didn't even know it was missing.

Eric didn't hesitate for a moment, but packed the stolen items into the bag. If Alex wanted a few memorabilia from the time here, it was fine with him. The contents of the nightstand drawer got dumped into a box together with a few other things that Alex had been particularly fond of.

When it was all done, he decided to hide everything under the bed until he could get it out of there. He didn't get that far. Just as he zipped the bag close, Troy walked in on him. Even the dimwit got the picture, and he ran downstairs to rat Eric out to the girls.

Slowly, Eric followed him. He could still pull this off, but he was a little nervous as he entered the living room. "Is it true?" Joy didn't even wait for him to get inside before she addressed him. Eric drew his breath and came closer. "That depends on what he'd told you." He threw a peek at Troy before he turned back to Joy.

Jade was sitting on the couch with her head cocked. "Have you been to Beacon Hills? Have you met Alex?" She didn't sound angry, but Eric didn't know if it was just a ruse. He decided to be bold and come clean. "I have, I did." He straightened himself up before he continued. "I was curious, and quite bored." He let out a small chuckle. "I didn't plan it, but when I met Alex alone, I couldn't help it. I had to talk with him."

The twins stared at him, but didn't say anything. Eric put his hand in his pocket and touched the necklace and the rings. "He's happy. He'd wanted to contact you, but didn't dare." Slowly, he pulled his hand out of the pocket. "He wanted to give you this," he pulled his hand all the way out and let the rings dangle from the chain, "as a peace offering."

When Jade saw the rings, tears welled up in her eyes. "The rings, he saved the rings." She ran over to Eric and grabbed them out of his hand. "I'm fine with this. Let them be, we can't fight them regardless." Joy looked at her sister. She didn't seem convinced about this, but then she nodded slowly a few times.

"He wants his clothes, and I promised to ask you if it was okay." Eric saw that Troy reacted to the words, and the guy took a couple of steps forward. "Bullshit! You were going to bring it to him without asking." He turned to Jade and Joy. "He has already packed everything. He would have snuck it out of here."

Eric huffed and shook his head. "No, I would never have done that." He hoped that the twins would believe the little white lie. "I just... I wanted to pack it myself. Alex was, uh, is my friend. I didn't know how much it was and..."

Jade lifted her hand. "Go ahead. Bring it to him." She looked at the rings. "He was thoughtful enough to take care of these, when he could have walked away and let them bury them with her." She looked at her sister. Joy seemed to think about for a second, before she turned to Alex. "I agree, just do it."

Troy was about to protest, but Jade hushed him and got up from the couch. "There's no point. We're not going to fight them. I just want peace." She walked towards the door. Eric couldn't help himself. He looked at Troy with a smirk as he addressed the twins. "Thank you so much. Alex will appreciate this. I promise he'll keep his side of the bargain and make sure that Derek Hale and his pack will stay away forever."

-o-o-o-o-o-

Stiles listened to Isaac's request with surprise. "Are you sure? It could turn out pretty bad." He shrugged a little. "Have you tried to find out yourself?" They were at the loft packing things they needed for the party. Alex and Derek had left already, but would be back later.

"I did, but she doesn't have the same last name, and I can't just ask Alex." Isaac stacked some containers with food into the cooler. "Your dad is really the only one that can help." He paused for a second, and stared into the air. "Alex told me that he'd like to know how she's doing. If she's alright, but he's not sure he wants to meet her."

The request was slightly ambiguous. Stiles didn't know if Isaac did this out of curiosity, or if he was also taking Alex' feelings about it into consideration. "Do you know anything about her?" He looked at Isaac. "I mean... If I'm gonna ask dad, I have to give him some inside information."

Isaac drew his breath and leaned on the counter. "Except for the fact that she chose her abusive husband over her son, and that she waited almost a year before she reported Alex missing; no, not much." His voice was dripping with contempt. "She was a druggie when she was young, but cleaned up when she got pregnant. I guess her life wasn't easy either." He sighed and continued with the task at hand. "I just want to find out if she's alive and well."

Stiles wasn't sure if his dad would be able to perform the search with the limited knowledge. "Where did they live? Anywhere close to here?" If Alex came from another state, it could be difficult. "Did he tell you anything that could make this easier?"

The cooler was filled to the brim, and Isaac bent down to put the lid on it. "Can't you just ask your dad? If he can do this, I'll sit down with him and tell him what I know." He moved the first cooler out of the way, and dragged the other one closer. "You have to tell him to keep it a secret though."

Stiles still felt a little uncomfortable about this. He had this strong opinion that Alex needed to know. "Are you sure? Maybe Alex will hold it against you later if you do this." He grabbed Isaac's arm and looked into his eyes. "You can ease him into it. You don't even know if he really wants this."

With a shrug, Isaac came loose from the grip. "I know. Stiles, I'm perfectly aware of the implications." He rubbed his eyes quickly. "If I can just talk to your dad about it; I just want to know if it's possible before I ask Alex. I don't want him to get his hopes up for nothing."

It made sense, and suddenly Stiles understood Isaac's incentive for keeping it a secret for now. "Okay. I'll ask, but only if you promise to share this with Alex as soon as you've talked to dad. Will you promise?" Isaac looked down for a second before he nodded. "I promise."

-o-o-o-o-o-

Lydia showed up early. She hadn't been to the house since that little party when she discovered that she couldn't enter. She'd been told that the basement was cleansed, but hadn't got a chance to find out if it was true.

Derek and Alex was there as promised, but it looked like they were about to leave. She jumped out of the car. "Hey! Are you going anywhere? I'm not staying here alone." Derek smiled at her and came closer. "Allison is on her way, and I'm just bringing Alex back to the loft. He has some cooking to do."

It was not a very comforting statement. Lydia didn't want to be there without any kind of company. "Can you wait till she gets here?" She threw a peek at the house, and Derek quickly picked up on it. "We can wait. Do you want to try to enter? I'm sure Alex would love to give you the tour."

Alex looked a little distressed; he was clearly eager to get back to the loft as soon as possible, but then he smiled and waved towards the house. "Come on. I'll also show you what I need you to do." He started walking towards the front porch, and Lydia braced herself before she followed.

No bad feelings entered her mind. It was like waking into any house. Dr Deaton obviously knew what he was doing when he cleansed it. The factual knowledge about the happenings here, was still present in her mind, but it didn't bother her in the same way anymore.

The small hall widened out to a big empty room. The stairs were right in front of her and on the left she could see the kitchen. The brand new cupboards were placed loosely against the wall. They weren't attached in any way shape or form, but she got an idea on how that room would look when it was all done.

"We have no running water yet, so please don't use the bathroom." Alex giggled a little as he pointed to a door next to the kitchen Then he wandered off towards the back of the house. Lydia followed him, perfectly amazed about the progress. Alex opened a door to a room that was filled with building materials. "Don't mind the mess, but this will probably be your sleeping quarters if you decide to spend the night here sometime in the future."

The room was quite big for a guestroom, but at the moment they couldn't even set a foot inside. "Maybe we'll make in into two rooms, but Derek hasn't decided yet." Alex closed the door and pointed to another. "That's the back door. We're having some problems with it. It's kinda stuck, but it will be fixed."

When they were back in the living room, Alex cocked his head and grabbed a broom that was leaning on the wall. "If you could sweep and... stuff." He batted his lashes. "Sorry you're a guest, but you said you wanted to help out." As Lydia was about to answer she could hear a car approaching. "It's fine, but I guess Allison is here now. She can fill me in. Go and make food." She smiled at Alex when he practically curtsied her. "Thank you so much. Derek will be back soon to help."

-o-o-o-o-o-

Derek couldn't believe that he'd practically given Alex a carte blanche when he'd asked if he could throw this party. The guy had gone all out with it. That he'd done most of the work himself helped a lot, but one could be under the impression that Alex was slightly insane.

Some of the plans had to be scrubbed. Alex wanted to put a disco ball and strobe lights into the living room, but when Dave the electrician told them that it would be impossible to hook them up to the electric grid at this point, Derek had secretly thanked any and all Gods that could or could not exist.

Alex also wanted a live band, but on that subject Derek had put his foot down. Paying for someone to come and play a few tunes was out of the question. Especially when they had that oversized boombox Stiles had convinced his dad to buy him last year. It would require a small arsenal of batteries, but that didn't change Derek's point of view.

There were some issues about the amount of food that Derek had wanted to address, but when he tried, Alex had snapped at him.

When he dropped Alex off at the loft, Derek thought he'd pick up Stiles, but it was Isaac that came downstairs with the two coolers. "Alex didn't want me there. He told me that Stiles has a better palate than me. I don't even know what that means." He looked slightly confused as he tried to fit the coolers into the back seat.

Derek got the impression that Isaac was also thinking that his boyfriend going a little off his rails. He shook his head and chuckled. "So let the two of them work it out. They are both a little hyper. I could have been fun to watch them, but we have work to do."

As they pulled up outside the house, Derek noticed a movement between the trees. He'd for a long time had a feeling that they had been watched, so he tried to act normal to avoid alerting whoever it was. Isaac had clearly not seen it, but as soon as he stepped out of the car he sniffed into the air.

Derek managed to give him a sign, and was happy when Isaac seemed to get it. They pulled the coolers out and carried them towards the porch. As soon as Derek had put it down he darted towards the treeline.

He recognized him immediately as one of Hester's boys. He was carrying a big duffel bag, but dropped it the moment he realized he was noticed. It didn't help. Derek caught up with him and knocked him to the ground. "Eric was it? You better come with me."

Derek dragged the guy out of the woods as he yelled for Isaac to help. Eric was squirming in his grip, but Derek was quite a bit stronger than him. "They didn't give up. They sent a spy. This is Eric."

The guy gave up. He didn't even try to fight Derek anymore. "Please. I just came for Alex. I mean, no, I..." He didn't get to explain himself before Isaac rushed forward to attack him. "Alex will never go with you. If you came here to take him away, I'll kill you."

Derek wasn't quite sure what would be the right move, but killing this guy without interrogating him first was not an option. "Isaac relax. We'll kill him if we have to, but please wait." He managed to cover Eric from Isaac attack.

"NO! There will be no killing." Allison came running out of the house. Lydia was right behind her but stopped on the porch. "There's no reason to take this guy's life, regardless of his connection to Hester." She pushed Isaac away and met Derek's eyes. For the other two, it seemed like a staring contest, but then Allison averted her gaze. "I'm done. Unless somebody threatens my family...hmpf, uh, that includes all of my friends." She narrowed her eyes, and looked at Derek and Isaac. "This pack is gong to get back in the good graces of the hunters. We are going to protect Beacon Hills. I'm going to make sure that we can live in peace here."

After the little speech, she suddenly looked totally exhausted. She closed her eyes and breathed heavily. "If they want a fight, I'll take it, but I'm done for now." With a quick move, she had her hand wrapped around Eric's throat. "Tell me what you're doing here. If you're honest, it will save your life."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Isaac watched as Alex jumped out of the car. He wondered what he'd say when he discovered that they had an uninvited guest. During the short interrogation, Eric had begged them to take him back to where Derek had caught him. The content of the cardboard box and the duffel bag they'd found between the bushes had convinced Isaac that the guy was speaking the truth. It didn't prevent him from getting attacked by a strong feeling of jealousy.

Derek had volunteered to keep an eye on the guy until Alex showed up, and Isaac suspected that he did it to avoid participating in the decoration. Nobody who'd been near Derek in the past couple of days could deny that he'd not been overly enthusiastic about Alex' plans.

It wasn't that Derek didn't condone it, but Alex had taken the carte blanche and ran with it, pushing limits in all directions. There hadn't really been any arguments between them. When Derek said no, Alex had complied, but it still threatened to get a little out of hand.

Isaac threw a quick peek at Eric. The guy was standing by the kitchen window, and had obviously seen Alex out there. The nervous twisting of his hands and the ghost of a smile tugging on his lips told Isaac that he was more than a little excited.

Alex and Stiles took their time; Isaac could see them digging things out of the car, and decided to go and help. He felt less than comfortable about Eric's presence, and wondered if he should reveal the secret immediately, just to get it over with.

He didn't get a chance. As soon as he came close, Alex started to pile stuff into his arms. "Bring this inside. Me and Stiles are going to take this to the stove." He nodded towards the brick-stove by the side of the house as he picked up a box with some pots and pans.

"Uh... okay, but maybe..." Isaac didn't get a chance to finish. "Hurry up, there's more, and I have to get back soon. I have food in the oven." Alex practically pushed him towards the house. With a shrug, Isaac walked away, but as he looked up, he saw Derek and Eric in the doorway.

A loud crash came from behind, before Alex rushed past him. "Eric, what are you doing here?" Then, he addressed Derek. "He's a friend. He won't be trouble. Please don't hurt him." It took him only a seconds to get to Eric, and Isaac watched with dismay on how he practically threw himself into the guy's arms.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

The table they'd made out of plywood and trestles, was placed in the middle of what would be the living room. Melissa had borrowed some folding chairs from the hospital's meeting room. With some pallets and pillows, Stiles and Isaac had managed to make a couch. Derek had found some more plywood, and constructed another little table for some of the food.

They were still quite a few seats short, so Stiles went on a round to collect anything that could be used as a chair. Alex had taken the jeep, so he had to borrow Chris' SUV for the purpose. It was a random collection of seats: garden stools, the dining room chairs from the Stilinski house, and a couple of wooden crates.

When he came back, Lydia and Allison were outside decorating the yard. Streamers in different colors were hanging from the trees. Small lanterns lined the whole area, and the fire pit they'd used ever so often during the summer had had a renovation. Every stone circling it, had been painted in different colors, and the logs they used to sit on were covered with blankets.

The plan was to move the party outside as soon as everybody had been fed and the presents were unwrapped. They could easily have had the whole party outside, but Alex insisted on a little 'class'. Stiles wasn't sure were this classiness would come from with plywood tables and the random selection of chairs; not to mention the fact that even if the drywall was up, it wasn't painted, and the windows were still not properly framed. Part of the floor bore signs of having survived a fire, and there were no running water or electricity.

Lydia and Allison helped with the chairs and when they came inside, Stiles had to admit that it looked amazing. On every available surface, except for the dining table, there were lit candles; white paper tablecloths covered the plywood, and soft music was playing in the background.

Spread out on the whole length of the makeshift table, Derek and Isaac were placing cups with small bouquets of wildflowers. Somebody had obviously gone out to pick them, and Stiles wondered who. He couldn't really picture Derek and Isaac doing it, but Lydia or Allison looked just as surprised as him by this, so Stiles figured that wasn't the girls.

The fact that this was technically Isaac's birthday party didn't really show on his face. Stiles knew exactly why he sported that disgruntled expression. Alex had barely payed attention to him at all during the short stay earlier, and Isaac was probably quite jealous of Eric.

Stiles knew that it made no sense, and he was pretty sure Isaac did too. Alex had told them that Eric was straight and that he'd never even had a crush on him, and that they had been more or less like brothers at Hester's house.

When Alex had to leave, he'd somehow convinced Eric to come with him to the loft, causing Isaac to just walk away. Stiles had wondered if he should try to comfort him, but then the chair problem arose and he had to leave also.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Alex had begged Eric to stay for the party, but he'd been adamant about going back as soon as possible. He didn't want to jeopardize the trust Jade and Joy had showed him. If he stayed too long, he worried that they would think he was running away, and send Troy to get him.

Being in such a hurry, Alex didn't have time to show Eric around in the house, and he cursed to himself for leaving the oven on at the loft. "Could you maybe... tell them that you couldn't find me. That you need a little more time?" Alex almost panicked a little, thinking it could possibly be that last time they met.

When Eric nodded and pulled out his phone, Alex had looked for Isaac, but couldn't see him. He realized that he'd totally ignored his boyfriend, but he had not time to do anything about it at that moment.

"It's okay. I can stay. Joy told me to take all the time I needed. I think she knew I was lying, but..." Eric shrugged, and stuck the phone back in his pocket. "They've changed. The girls have changed since her death." He followed Alex to Stiles' car, and jumped into the passenger seat. "I don't want to push it, but I asked her to call me later."

At the loft, Alex had to check on the lasagna. He could cook everything else on the outdoor stove, but this had to be done here. Eric was walking around in there looking a little freaked out. "This is where you live?" He shook his head. "It's like a warehouse, how can..."

Alex laughed. "I know. It's not like the mansion, but remember, I lived on the streets for six years. This is way better." He dug out the aluminum-foil from a drawer. "And you know, we'll be moving soon." When he looked up, Eric was peeking into Isaac's room. "Is this where you're sleeping?" He closed the door and came back towards the kitchen area.

"Sleeping? Yeah. I do. I sleep sometimes." Alex turned to Eric and smiled. "Honestly! That's the room where we're at it like rabbits." He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment. "I'm in love, Eric. I've found... I think this is for life. For me it is, but I think it is for Isaac too."

Eric came over and hugged him. "You think? You... he's a werewolf, he should know." He put his hands on Alex shoulders and pushed him back to meet his eyes. Alex slumped his head down and pouted a little. "I didn't ask him yet. He's only... eighteen. Uh, tomorrow."

With a huff, Eric let go of Alex' shoulders. "I was only seventeen when I knew that Hester was my soul-mate. For her I was just a toy, but I couldn't leave, because I was bonded with her." He shook his head. "She screwed me over so many times, but I was still that devoted puppy."

He drew his breath and stared into Alex' eyes. "I wanted to kill the bitch that took her life, but then I realized that I was set free." Eric hurried to wipe a tear out of his eye. "She would never love me the way I loved her, but I couldn't move on until... now."

Alex had to take care of the lasagna, so he moved over to the stove. "I understand what you're saying, and I feel for you. Hester was unable to love anyone. She was damaged." He pulled the pan out, and hurried to cover it with the aluminum foil. "So why don't you come live with us? And why does this have anything to do with Isaac?"

Looking down, Eric grabbed bar-stool and climbed on it. "I'm just saying... age is not important. As a werewolf, you just know. And, no, I can not abandon the girls." He blushed a little, and Alex had to stop what he was doing to look at his friend. "You really care about them? Did they really change that much?"

There were so much to say and so much to do. Alex wanted to have time for Eric, but he had other obligations. He had to get the food to the house while it was still warm. Looking at the clock, he knew the guests were arriving soon. "Please just stay for a little while longer. I've missed you, but I have to get back to the house."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

It looked like the party was going to be a big success. The guests had started to arrive, and Allison greeted them all with a glass of sparkling wine. She worried a little about the fact that Alex hadn't come back yet, but he hadn't really been gone that long.

Stiles had obviously got thorough instructions about the Hors d'oeuvres, and was handing out paper plates to the guests before he guided them towards the table. Without enough serving plates, some of it was still in plastic containers, but it didn't matter.

Isaac had been pacing around, being in everybody's way ever since Alex and Eric left, but now he'd managed to put on a smile. It was clearly a little forced, but it didn't look like anyone else noticed.

Chris was showing Melissa and Mr Stilinski around the house. Lydia was helping Stiles, and Derek was outside tending to the outdoor stove. Allison had put Scott in charge of the presents. Without any table to put them on, he'd used the stairs, causing difficulties for Chris when he wanted to show Scott and Stiles' parents the upstairs. Most of the presents were for Isaac; some of the guests didn't even know Alex, and they definitely didn't know that the two of them were an item.

The guys from the Lacrosse-team had obviously started the party before they came. Danny was technically sober, and was the designated driver, but the other four had had more than a few drinks already. Allison decided to keep an eye on them; she didn't want them to ruin this, and she'd toss them out if they started to get obnoxious.

Dr Deaton brought his sister and as soon as they arrived, Scott ran out to greet them by the car. Allison watched them gesturing and pointing at something inside the car, but with the music and the chatter around her, she was unable to hear them.

The three of them had to jump out of the way when Alex arrived in the jeep. He'd been adamant about keeping cars out of the front yard, but it obviously didn't include him. He parked almost on the doorstep and hurried to get out. Eric was with him and together, they rushed over to Derek with a couple of aluminum pans.

"Sorry, sorry. Is everything okay?" He waved to Allison, and she nodded. "Sure, did you think we couldn't do this without you?" She laughed as she handed a glass of wine to Dr Deaton's sister, who'd now come up on the porch.

Allison went inside and looked around. Isaac was hanging with Danny all the way in the back of the living room, and Allison tried to get his attention. He'd been sulking for too long, and she wanted to tell him that Alex was back.

-o-o-o-o-o-

They were three seats short. Alex suggested that he, Stiles and Derek could sit on the makeshift couch, but then Lydia stepped up. "It's your party, and Derek is the host. You are going to relax and have fun now. I'll take care of this." After a short deliberation with Allison, she'd volunteered Danny and Lizzy – one of her friends – to pose as waiters, and solved the seating problem already.

"I counted and knew it would be an issue, so this is how we'll do it." She grabbed the serving plate with a variety of sausages and other meats that Alex had cooked on the outdoor grill, out of his hands and nodded towards the table. "Sit! We'll do this."

Derek was still outside, tending to the food that were kept warm out there, and Lydia sent Danny out to get him. She clapped her hands to get everybody's attention. "Please get seated. Lizzy will provide you with drinks. Just tell her what you want."

She put the plate down on the table as Derek and Danny came inside with more food. She urged Derek to sit before she and Danny headed outside to get the rest.

The sun was touching the treetops, and would soon disappear. The evening came early in the woods. Lydia realized that they probably had to make two trips; Alex had made enough food to serve an army. They would have leftovers for days to come.

Her mouth watered when the scent hit her nostrils, and she couldn't help herself. Knowing that she'd have to wait before she could sit down and eat properly, she grabbed a couple of meatballs and stuffed them in her mouth. Danny caught her red-handed, and laughed before he too did the same.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Troy was extremely pissed off. He couldn't believe that Jade and Joy had let Eric take off to meet Alex. Alex, who had abandoned them for Derek Hale and his pack. Alex, who was in cohorts with those bastards who killed Hester.

The girls had not showed any urge to get revenge, and it angered him. He wanted to snuff out that bitch who took their Alpha away and stole her status. Derek himself and his human boyfriend were also high on Troy's list of people he would want to see dead.

When Eric didn't come back after what Troy felt was an appropriate period of time, he'd asked Joy if he should go looking for him, but she'd just waved it off. Later, he learned that Eric had actually called to ask if he could stay longer, and Joy had given him permission.

Trying to get Jade to see his point of view had resulted in nothing. The girl had solemnly explained that her sister had made the decision and she was not going to contradict her.

When the sun was setting in the west, Troy started to think that Eric wouldn't come back at all. He could be captured, or even dead. A shiver went down Troy's spine when he realized that Eric could have joined the pack up in Beacon Hills and that he'd never come back.

He had to do something. Pacing around only got him more frustrated, so he decided to take matters into his own hands.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Everybody was raving about the food, and Stiles could see that Alex blushed a little from all the attention. He was also clearly proud of himself, but bore it quite well.

When the guests couldn't possibly eat another bite, there were still enough food left to feed a small village. That was before the cake and other sweets were even out of the cooler. Stiles got up, and urged Derek and Scott to do so too, so Lydia, Danny, and Lizzy could get a bite before they started to put away the leftovers.

Alex managed to convince all of them to have a piece of cake, before they concentrated on the presents. A good deal of them were for Isaac; mostly money and gift-cards, but also a few pieces of clothing and toiletries.

Those guests that had had the pleasure of meeting Alex before, and knew that it was technically his birthday party too, had of course got something for him also. Stiles was a little embarrassed as he handed over the gift from him and Derek. It wasn't particularly inventive, but the check was big enough for them to equip their new room in the house with brand new furniture. Stiles had not been able to chip in much, but Derek had covered the rest. It was his idea anyway.

Mrs McCall, Mr Stilinski, and Mr Argent had gone together to buy presents for the boys. Isaac was in awe when he looked the new iphone, but couldn't compete with Alex' screams as he unwrapped the sewing machine.

Running around like a child, he hugged all three of them before he caressed the machine, as if it was the most precious thing he'd ever seen. Isaac had to pull him away from it when Scott started to get a little impatient.

Everybody knew that he had a very special present, but only Derek and Dr Deaton knew what it was. The doctor was outside waiting for his cue, and came inside as soon as Scott gave the okay.

The little bundle he was carrying in his arm whimpered a little, but it's tail was wagging vigorously. "Scott and I nursed this little fellow back to health after someone found him in a crate by the road." Deaton lifted the little guy up for everyone to see. "We cleared it with Derek, and he thought it would be nice with a dog to complement the family."

Tears were running down Alex' face as he reached his hands out to take the dog. The animal squirmed a little before he rested his head on Alex' shoulder. Isaac embraced them both, and for all the onlookers, it was clear that he too got a little emotional.

"We have a baby." Alex sniffled a little before he stretched his neck and kissed Isaac on the mouth. Stiles noticed that some of their friends from school widened their eyes. They had clearly not picked up on the fact that Isaac and Alex were a couple.

Nobody said anything though, and even if Isaac seemed a little uncomfortable about it, he didn't pull away. He looked around before he dug into his pocket and cleared his throat. "Alex." He panned the crowd under his lashes. "This is, uh, not... I mean..." His face was so red that Stiles worried for a second that it would explode.

Isaac had to take a moment to compose himself before he continued. "I love you so much. I want to be with you for the rest of my life." He swallowed hard. Alex squeezed the puppy into his chest until it started to whimper before he realized what he was doing. Isaac giggled a little nervously as he gestured for Scott to take the dog.

"It's not a proposal... I think...but I want you to have this." He got his hand out of his pocket and presented a simple gold ring. "It was my mother's wedding band." He paused for a second. "Call it whatever you want. I may be young, but I know that nobody can make me as happy as I am when I'm with you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It freaks me out a little, but this is the beginning of the end. After more than a year in the making, this story is reaching it's (for me) long awaiting finale. Don't worry, there are still more than a few chapters to come, but the endgame is in sight.
> 
> I have added new plot-lines over time (and I promise you there will still be a few new and exciting happenings. Maybe even a major surprise or two.), but ever since I decided to keep going after the two first chapters, I have always known how I wanted this to end for Stiles and Derek. Isaac's and Allison's fate have come to me during the writing process, but it didn't really change much for the Sterek story I wanted to tell. (Yeah, I admit that it's getting a little more crowded than I first planned.)
> 
> Unlike the writers of LOST, I will do my best to wrap up all loose ends. If you have any questions or ideas, you better ship them my way now. If there's anything you feel I need to address in the last few - maybe a little more than a few - chapters, this is your chance to tell me. Did I start a plot-line that ended in nothing? Did I leave someone behind? There could be things that I'm forgetting, and I don't want anyone to have to remind me after the last chapter has been posted.
> 
> I'm trying to keep up with myself, but there's a shitload of chapters to go through. Help! Please help!


	68. Chapter 68

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Melissa and Mr Stilinski have to go to work, but the rest of the guests gets shoved outside to continue the party. Isaac and Alex are happy. Joy worries about Eric and Troy and wants to go look for them. Stiles is not in a good mood, but Derek doesn't have time to deal with it at the moment. When the guests eventually leaves, Alex don't want it to end. Chris, Lydia, and, what I like to refer to as 'Derek's pack', are the only ones left. They decide to stay there for a little while longer after they have tided up somewhat. An uninvited guest turns their plan upside down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've read though part of this long story and I've found quite a few typos and grammatical errors. For a moment I pondered on going in and fix them, but decided against it. As far as I can see none of them are grave enough to cause problems for the reader. There may be reasons for a few laughs and a head-shake, but I can handle that. I'm pretty sure that someone would have mentioned it if something was totally off.

Allison was pretty sure that there wasn't a dry eye in the room. Even the drunken boys from the lacrosse team secretly wiped their eyes. She didn't get emotional easily – especially after the bite – but the lump in her throat was now threatening to choke her.

There were still a couple of presents left to open, but no one seemed to care. Lydia leaned over and whispered as she wiped her nose with a napkin: "I got them matching pajamas, but I guess they won't be so interesting anymore."

Scott's mom came over and nudged Allison. "I have to go to work, but I don't want to interrupt anything, please just..." Both Allison and Lydia nodded. The scene in front of them – Isaac and Alex entwined in an embrace that didn't seem to end – was enough to understand why Melissa didn't want to disturb them.

A few second later Mr Stilinski came over with the same excuse, and Allison waved him off with a smile. "I know. Work. I'll deliver your goodbyes."

It seemed like nobody else dared to move, but then Derek stepped up and practically pushed people out the door. "The party will continue outside." He gestured for everyone to follow him. "I know that some of you are underage." He threw a peek at a couple of the boys. "Some of you have had enough already, but I don't care. I'm the boss around here now, and if I serve you... I serve you, and if I don't, you just have to deal with it."

That Scott's mom and Stiles' dad had left made this a little easier, but Allison could see that her dad and the Deatons weren't completely comforted by Derek's words. She let go of Lydia and ran over to her dad. "It'll be okay. Stiles and Scott are the only ones under eighteen, which is the legal drinking age in Europe."

Her dad chuckled humorously. "We're not in Europe darling, but it's okay. As long as Derek is I control, I'm not going to make a scene."

-o-o-o-o-

Alex' heart was threatening to jump out of his chest. He didn't manage to concentrate on the guests anymore. The only thing he could focus on was the ring. Isaac had said that it wasn't a proposal, but it sure felt like one. Not that it mattered so much. The most important thing was that he and Isaac were going to live together; happily ever after under this roof.

He had to take a moment before he could go outside and join the others. Isaac had practically been attacked by a couple of the girls from school. It was a friendly attack; they'd congratulated him and hugged him as they dragged him out the door.

The boys had been a little more standoffish, but Alex could see that Isaac received a couple of high-fives and a friendly knock on his shoulder when he mingled with the guests around the fire pit later.

Isaac, who'd been a little worried about what people would say about him having a boyfriend, did more than just reveal that he was gay; he'd dived head first out of the closet without much ado.

Alex startled a little when Scott nudged him. "Hey, do you want me to take care of this little thing while you party?" He was still holding the puppy who'd fallen asleep in his arms. Alex didn't know what to say. He was so overwhelmed at the moment, that he could barely take care of himself, but he also really didn't want to get a babysitter. "I, we, we should probably do it ourselves."

Scott chuckled a little and shook his head. "I really don't mind. You have a lot to celebrate right now, and this little one are not interested in partying." He looked down at the dog and smiled. "Get out there. You will have plenty of time to get to know him."

With a sigh, Alex reach his hand out and stroked the dogs back. The dog lifted his head a little and yawned before resting on Scott's arm again. "I've never had a pet before. We may need some help with this." Alex looked up at Scott. "Does he have a name?"

Scott shook his head. "At the clinic we just called him 'Little guy'. You and Isaac have to find a name for him yourselves." He nodded towards the door. "But just go, I'm sure he'll be better off in here. The noise outside will possibly scare him."

Stiles had been in the living room with Lydia putting away the food. They came over to Scott and Alex. "The ice is melting, we have to get the the food into a refrigerator soon." Stiles gave the puppy a little pat on the head. "And this one is way too young to party. I can take him."

Alex stared at him. "What are you saying? You want to take him to the loft to be by himself?" He shook his head. "No! Not gonna happen!" He shifted his gaze between Scott and Stiles. "Having a baby isn't easy. What should we do?"

Lydia hadn't said anything yet. She patted Alex' shoulder. "Stiles and I can bring the food back, and we can keep the dog in the car." She turned to Scott. "We can bring him back here after, we don't have to leave him there, just..."

-o-o-o-o-o-

"Did Troy just leave?" Joy was in her sister's room looking out the window. "Do you know where he went?" It was really a rhetorical question. She knew exactly were he was going. "They're gonna kill him."

Jade was getting ready for bed and flung the comforter to the side. "He won't do anything. He's probably worried about Eric." She sat down on the bed and took off the necklace. After caressing the rings, she put it on the nightstand.

Joy huffed and stared at her. "You don't even believe that yourself. He doesn't care about Eric. He wants revenge." She shook her head. "He is going to do something stupid and get himself killed, you know that."

It wasn't that she carried so many warm feelings for Troy, but he was family. "We have to stop him. Come on." She tried to pull her sister up from the bed, but Jade just pushed her away. "Let him go." She sighed and looked up at her sister. "Let him die, if that's what he wants." Joy stared at her dumbfounded. "I thought you loved him. Don't you want to stop him?"

Jade shook her head and sighed. "I do, I did, I loved him, but I can't save him." She lied down on the bed and stared into the ceiling. "He would never love me back. Troy only loves himself, and it will never change. I have to move on."

Joy stared at her sister and shook her head. "He's making a mistake; maybe he is somewhat narcissistic, but he is family. We have to try to save him." She walked towards the door. "I can't let him do this. If he injures any one of them, we'll have the Hale-pack at our doorstep. We promised to stay away." She knew very well that they wouldn't stand a chance if that happened.

She could hear a chuckle from Jade. "So it's really not Troy you worry about. You're worrying about your own skin."

Maybe that was it, but it didn't change much. Troy had to be stopped. It would be for his own good also. Joy opened the door before she turned to her sister. "If you are not coming with me, I'm going alone."

-o-o-o-o-o-

Stiles seemed a tad evasive and distant. He'd casually mentioned that he and Lydia were going to bring the food back to the loft before it went bad. When Derek tried to hug him, he'd just scooted away with a shrug.

For a moment, Derek wondered if it had anything to do with the guys from school. Maybe Stiles didn't want to out himself at the moment. Thinking about it, Derek was pretty sure that that wasn't it. Even if they hadn't announced their relationship so much, it was still common knowledge.

Everybody knew that Stiles practically lived at the loft, and that he'd move into the house with Derek as soon as it was finished. For some, they could be perceived as only good friends and roommates, but those who believed that had to be quite ignorant.

He watched as Stiles and Lydia started to carry the coolers out, and wondered if he should help them. He got a little sidetracked when Danny came over and asked for a beer and when he turned back, Stiles was standing on the porch staring over at the pit. He actually looked a little angry, but there was also a hint of sadness in his eyes. Derek followed his line of view, and discovered that Stiles was staring directly at Isaac and Alex. The two of them were sitting on one of the logs. Isaac had his arm wrapped around Alex, and they were both staring at Alex' ring finger.

Suddenly, Stiles seemed to become aware that Derek was watching him, and he hurried to turn away and walk inside.

'Could it be that Stiles wanted that?' Derek thought as he looked at the who lovebirds again. Maybe he wanted a real commitment; a proposal of some kind. They had been together for much longer than Alex and Isaac, but never really made any promises to one another. Not that there was any doubt in Derek's mind, but Stiles was a human and could possibly not feel the bond the same way as a werewolf would.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Eric had to leave. He'd been surprised that he hadn't received a call from the mansion, but he didn't want them to wonder. Alex had tried to get him to promise to come back and visit, but he was unable to do that. Isaac felt a little more comfortable around Eric now. He was actually quite nice, and when he managed to look at him as Alex' brother, it was much easier to handle the devotion the two of them felt for each other.

"I feel I'm the only sane person in that house now." Eric chuckled and rolled his eyes. "Maybe I always was." He gave Isaac a lopsided smile. "Hester wasn't completely normal, and you know that Alex is kinda crazy, right?" He knocked Alex gently on the shoulder with his fist. "Adorably insane." His voice was loaded with affection. Isaac looked down at Alex. That was exactly how he would describe Alex on some occasions.

He suddenly realized what it must have meant for Alex to have this guy to take care of him in Hester's house. Eric had been given a horrible chore after Alex' first night there. Hester had pushed Alex under the shower to rinse him off somewhat after he'd made a mess on himself because of the withdrawals, but it was Eric that had to clean him up completely and comfort him after the bite.

He had helped him through his first full moon. When Hester sometimes had been a little too rough, Eric had stayed with him until he was completely healed. Eric wasn't that much older than Alex, but he'd been the big brother that Alex had never had.

Isaac felt bad for resenting this guy. Even if Alex and Eric never had a sexual relationship, he'd worried that Alex' feelings for Eric was so profound that Isaac would always play second fiddle. He didn't feel that anymore. Eric was probably the best thing that had happened to Alex in a long time, and Isaac now knew that he was partially responsible for making him into what he was now.

The whole party was breaking up behind them, and Eric leaned in and gave Isaac a quick hug before he embraced Alex. "I'll better get going before the crowd blocks my escape." He nodded towards a couple of guys who were stumbling across the yard. "I don't want to accidentally run over a drunken teenager."

He pulled away and started to walk down the road, but then he suddenly turned. He dug his hand into his pocket and picked out a phone. "I completely forgot." He held it up. "Your phone is still working and the plan is payed for. The girls don't even know." Then he shoved it into Alex' hand. "Call me sometime."

-o-o-o-o-o-

The party was over. Alex, Lydia, and Scott were inside packing the rest of the food and throwing away all the used paper plates and plastic glasses. Allison and Derek were at the side of the house, putting pots and pans and utensils from the outdoor grill into a box. Stiles had gotten the boring chore of carrying things to the car.

Chris had left with a slightly intoxicated Isaac. They were going to bring the puppy to the loft. Scott had convinced them that the dog would be fine in his little kennel for a short period of time. "He was at the clinic over-night with no company but the other animals in there."

Everybody knew that that wasn't completely true. It wasn't that often they had overnight patients, but when they had, Scott or Dr Deaton – or sometimes Deaton's sister – always checked in on the animals at least one time during the night.

When everything was stowed away, the plan was to sit by the fire until it died down. Alex really didn't want the party to end, and he'd convinced them all to stay for a nightcap.

Stiles went up on the porch and picked up the box with unused paper plates and other nicknacks. It wasn't heavy, but it was quite big, so he couldn't see much as he walked towards the car. "Hi there." A voice next to him made him stop and turn his head. Between Lydia and Derek's cars, a tall blonde guy was leaning against a tree. He pushed away from it and took a few steps closer.

"Who are you?" Stiles turned so he had the box between him and the newcomer. "This is private grounds." The guy chuckled a little and rubbed his own chin. Stiles could see the claws, and realized that it had to be Troy. He vaguely remembered him from a long time ago at the loft.

He tried to stay calm as he got ready to drop what he was holding and run for his life. "Are you here to celebrate with us? The party is practically over, but I'm sure Alex'll be happy to see you." Stiles was pretty sure Alex wouldn't be happy at all, but he had to buy himself some time.

He threw a peek over his shoulder. He could see Derek, but he was moving away towards the back of the house. Stiles didn't know where Allison was, but everybody else was still inside. Scott came out on the porch and looked around. When he spotted Stiles, he waved for him, but could obviously not see Troy from that angle.

Stiles didn't know how to warn him about this imminent threat, without alerting Troy also. He started to move backwards, managing to give Troy a smile, but the guy was obviously not fooled by his attempt to be friendly.

Suddenly, Troy darted forward; Stiles dropped the box and was about to run away when he got grabbed by the neck and lifted off the ground. Then he got a set of claws dug deep down into his belly. He could almost feel something pop in there. A split second later, Troy threw him against a tree. Stiles experienced a kind of deja-vu as he flew through the air. This was almost like that time in the garage when he got tossed into the wall. He could see that Scott reacted instantly, and rushed towards them as he yelled for help.

Just as his body hit the three trunk, Stiles felt an excruciating pain in his back before he passed out.

He didn't know how long he'd been out when he opened his eyes again. Partially conscious, he he saw blurry faces around him. His whole body was aching, and it was extremely hard to breathe. He wanted to wipe his eyes; it felt like he had glue on his eyelids, but he was not able to move his hand to remove it. He realized that he couldn't really move any of his limbs; his head seemed detached form his body. He tried to speak, but all that came out was a whimper.

Keeping his eyes open was hard, but he wanted to know who was there. He tried to ask, but again, he found it impossible to form coherent words. It could have sounded like faint screams of pain, because he thought he heard Allison's voice. "He is in pain, hurry up."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Derek was at Stiles' side as he landed on the ground. Allison didn't know what to do at first. Scott was on top of Stiles' attacker; he had completely wolfed out and kept punching the guy's face. He seemed to have the upper hand, so Allison just kept an eye on them as she sat down next to Derek and Stiles. In the corner of her eye, she could see Alex approaching.

"Is he still alive?" Allison barely dared to ask. Stiles' leg was in an impossible position, probably broken in multiple places. A few scratches on his neck was bleeding. His hair was caked in with blood, so there was probably a cut in his head also. His face was almost unrecognizable under the red streaks.

That wasn't even the worst part. Blood was gushing out of his belly. Internal organs must have been hit by Troy's claws, and that meant that it would only be a matter of time before he exsanguinated. Even with werewolf-speed, they weren't going to get him to the hospital in time.

Allison had tried to be ready to help Scott, but as she watched, Troy managed to push Scott away and get to his feet. It seemed like he was trying to flee, but he didn't get very far. The sound of a gunshot startled her, and behind Scott, she could see her dad. He was pointing the gun at Troy, now lying on the ground. Chris placed two more bullets in his head before he kicked the body to make sure he was dead.

There were no time to mourn a dead wolf; Stiles was in serious trouble. He was looking at her, and she squeezed his hand. There was no reaction. It was like the hand was dead already. "Why did Melissa leave so early?" Allison spoke mostly to herself. She was pretty sure that Scott's mom couldn't have done much either, but a professional opinion would have been good. "I think... I think his neck is broken. He can't move his fingers."

Derek put his hand on Stiles' chest and scrunched his face. Allison could see the black streaks appearing on Derek's arm, as he did his best to ease his lover's pain. She knew that it would possibly take a lot of power, considering Stiles' condition.

"It won't help. He's going to die. You have to give him the bite." She tried to meet Derek's eyes, and could see that the red glow in them faded as his powers got drained. "Don't...say...that, I can...we can...save him." Derek threw a quick peek at her. There was a flash of orange in his eyes, before they turned bright blue. It looked like he was about to pass out from the exhaustion.

Stiles face changed and he seemed relaxed. Allison knew that what Derek had done was just a postponement of the inevitable. Stiles' heart was beating at a more normal rate, now that he couldn't fell the pain anymore, but even if the blood was draining from his body at a lower speed, it would still only give him a couple more minutes to live.

"It's the only way." She sniffled loudly as she spoke. "He's going to die." Allison watched as Derek cradled Stiles in his arms and looked up at her. He finally seemed to get it; he finally seemed to understand that what he'd done was futile in the long run. "I can't, I don't have the power."


	69. Chapter 69

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A big drama takes place at the Hale-house. In the meantime, Mr Stilinski is doing some research and what he finds out about Alex' mom is almost mindblowing. Joy leaves the mansion to look for Troy and Eric. Allison and Derek have only one focus. Stiles is dying! If a bite can save him, Allison has to step up.

Alex was balling up the paper table cloth when he heard Scott scream for help outside. Lydia was holding the trash bag, and she dropped it instantly. They looked at each other for a second, before they rushed to the window. Something happened at the far end of the yard, where the cars were parked.

They could both see Scott, and it looked like he was wolfing out. Derek was running across the yard with Allison at his tail, both practically diving in between the trees next to Scott.

Suddenly, Lydia crouched down as if she'd been hit by something. Alex stared at her and tried to grab her, but she waved him away. "No, no, I'm fine, but... Stiles is not." She managed to get up again as she gestured out the window. "One of them is going to die."

Alex didn't hesitate. He darted towards the door and rushed outside. The moment he set foot on the porch he could see Chris' SUV speeding towards the house, but it stopped before it reached the yard. Scott was on the ground punching someone. Alex didn't even wonder about who it was; he was sure it had to be Troy.

Chris jumped out of the car with ha gun in his hand. Alex took in the scene without knowing what to do. As he watched, Troy managed to push Scott away and get up. He seemed to be looking for an escape when Chris came up behind Scott. He practically leaned his hand with the gun on Scott's shoulder and pulled the trigger.

Troy sunk down on the ground, and Chris fired two more shots into his head. Isaac was also out of the SUV now, but he didn't even look at Troy. He stared at something that was outside Alex' line of view.

Alex was about to approach them, when a vibration in his pocket startled him. It took a few seconds before he realized that it was the phone, and he instantly knew who the caller was.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

When Mr Stilinski came to work with nothing else to do at the moment, he decided to check into Isaac's request. Stiles and Isaac and pulled him to the side when he arrived at the party. The question he got from Isaac was a bit strange. He'd asked to talk to Alex about it, but both boys were adamant about keeping it a secret from him.

"If Alex came and asked if I could find his mother, it would be something I could look into, but this..." He'd shook his head. Isaac kicked up some gravel and sighed. "Okay. Maybe I'll..." Stiles had suddenly and quite impolitely cut him off. "Shut it Isaac! Dad! Can't you just check. If you find her, we can tell him. You don't have to tell us, uh, Isaac anything. Just... see if it's possible."

They'd expected Alex to be back any minute, and some of the guests wanted to greet Isaac and wish him a happy birthday. The conversation ended abruptly when Allison came over and practically dragged Isaac with her. Stiles had stared at him for a few seconds before he too got called away to help out with something.

At the station, Mr Stilinski figured he could do a quick search. He'd heard part of Alex' back story, and was a little curious about the woman who'd given up on her son. Nobody at work questioned it when he went straight to the computer. He wasn't their boss anymore, but he still had a kind of authority there.

He'd planned to stay on for only a few minutes, but what he found kept him focused on the screen for more than an hour.

It was a sad and disturbing story that got unraveled through court documents and reports from the local PD. This woman, Sonya Johnson, had a rap sheet long as his arm. In her youth, she'd been arrested for possession and suspicion of prostitution on multiple accounts.

She'd served a few months for the drugs, but the prostitution charges never stuck. During a routine medical in prison more than two decades ago, it was discovered that she was pregnant. The rest of her sentence were served at a rehab facility, and she'd obviously stayed clean after that. At least there wasn't anything to find.

The next time her name showed up in any police records was when she reported her son missing. Mr Stilinski knew when Alex had left home, and the missing persons report was filed almost a year later. He knew that the FBI or the police wouldn't put too much effort into the case. A fifteen year old who'd been missing for that long was either dead or he didn't want to be found. Fliers were made, but the mother didn't push them much either.

Mr Stilinski dug a little deeper and found a mention of an interview. An officer had been at the house, and in a note, he'd written that Mrs Johnson was about to go into labor and that the interview had to be postponed.

He couldn't find more about that case, but there were new and more recent developments in the story about Sonya. Only two months ago, this woman had been brought in as a witness when her husband had been found shot to death in his bed. It had taken less than two minutes before she'd confessed, claiming it was self defense.

That the guy had been shot in his sleep, making the self defense claim a little dodgy, didn't change her story. Her six year old daughter had been taken care of by the child protection services, and after a quick examination, it was established that the girl had suffered abuse. She'd been put through a more elaborate exam where they found no indication of sexual abuse. Except for the obvious welts on her bottom, her arm had at one point in time been dislocated. Medical records had shown that she'd suffered a fractured radius six months prior, and the doctors had concluded that it could also have been as a result of abuse.

Sonya Johnson was at the moment incarcerated awaiting trial, and the girl was put into foster care. They had not been able to locate any relatives yet, but the investigation was ongoing. In a footnote, Alex' name was mentioned, but it seemed more as an afterthought than a real option.

Mr Stilinski knew that he had to tell Alex. Getting custody of his half sister would probably not be possible though, all things considered, but he was a relative.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Joy didn't know where to look for Eric and Troy. She wasn't very familiar with the streets of Beacon Hills, but eventually she managed to find the building where Derek's loft was. She knew that Eric had taken the Accord and Troy left in the Mercedes, but none of those cars were there.

Pondering on what to do next, the front door opened and a tall lanky blonde came out. He seemed to be quite drunk. Seconds later, a bearded man appeared and together, they walked over to an SUV parked right outside. "Isaac Lahey and Chris Argent. A hunter and a werewolf." Joy spoke to herself as she shook her head. "This pack... friends with humans and hunters."

She decided to follow them. With no clue about where to look for the boys, this was her best bet. She tried to keep a distance, but the hunter drove pretty fast, so she had to speed up so she wouldn't lose them.

When they came the woods, she realized where they were going. She slowed down and saw the SUV disappear around a curve. She'd completely forgotten about the Hale-house. It had burnt down a few years ago, but for some reason, Hester had known that Derek was rebuilding it.

Joy parked the car at the crossroad where the long driveway up to the house started. She got out, and decided to walk the rest of the way. She didn't get far before she heard a gunshot. Frozen in her position, she wondered what had happened. Seconds later, the heard two more shots.

She didn't know if she should go any closer, but curiosity got the better of her. She stepped off the road and moved towards were the sound had come from, doing her best to stay invisible between the trees.

When she suddenly heard voices, she ducked down behind some bushes and held her breath. She was very close. If any one of them sniffed into the air, they'd probably catch her scent.

Very slowly, she stretched her neck to peek over the shrubbery. A couple of cars were partially blocking her view. She could see Chris Argent and Isaac. They both had their backs turned to her. Alex was also there. It looked like he was crying. All of them stared at something or someone on the ground that Joy could not see.

Nobody was talking at the moment, but then she heard Derek's voice loud and clear. "I can't. I don't have the power."

-o-o-o-o-o-

Scott couldn't move. He was also unable to transform back to human form. It was almost like he was completely frozen.

The ringing in his ears was so loud, that he couldn't hear much of what Allison and Derek was saying. The smell of blood and a faint scent of gunpowder was tickling his nostrils, and his vision was clouded by tears.

Chris was standing right behind him. He knew that the guy had fired several shots with the gun held only inches from Scott's ear, and that that was the reason for his temporary hearing impairment. Stiles attacker was lying at his feet with his head nearly blown off, but Scott didn't manage to focus on him.

The scene in front of him was so surreal that he almost thought it was a just a bad dream. His best friend was dying. Stiles, who really had nothing to do with this werewolf fight, had again been targeted.

He couldn't help but blame Derek for this. Scott knew who the dead guy was, and he knew why he was there. Hester's pack wanted revenge, and it was Derek that had brought her to their attention in the first place.

Allison and Derek were covering the view, so Scott couldn't see Stiles. As his hearing came back, he finally managed to calm down a bit, and he could feel that he was slowly transforming back. He couldn't smell the gunpowder anymore, but the sweet scent of Stiles' blood was still present.

Another scent came in with the little breeze that rustled the leaves. He knew for sure that it wasn't Allison's perfume, and when he turned to Lydia and inhaled deeply, he knew that it wasn't hers either.

Again, his claws came out and he felt that he was about to wolf out again. Troy had brought backup. One or both the twins were hiding somewhere between the trees. Scott's mind was clouded with concern for Stiles, but he still managed to think straight for a second.

He took a few steps backwards, trying not to alert anyone about his intentions. Everybody else was focused on Derek, Stiles, and Allison, so no one payed attention to him. He covered his face, trying to make it look like he was about to cry. It was technically not far from the truth, Stiles condition was serious.

When his back hit Lydia's car, he bent his head down and turned it a little to the side. A quick and clandestine sniff told him which direction do go. He peeked over to where Stiles was lying, but Allison and Derek blocked him completely.

For a moment, he struggled with himself. He wanted to run over to them, but at the same time he was adamant about catching whoever was hiding behind him.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"Did you meet them?" The question came the moment Eric entered the mansion. Jade sounded a bit distressed as she ran towards him. "Troy and my sister? Did they come back with you?"

Eric didn't know what to think. He'd left Beacon Hills with no clue that he'd been followed. "I'm sorry I'm late, but..." He huffed a little. "I wanted to spend more time with Alex. We talked, and... but what are you talking about?"

For a moment Jade looked terrified. "They, uh, they... I mean Troy went after you. He was angry and... I think he wanted to..." She sighed heavily and slumped her head down. "I wasn't firm enough with him. I should have stopped him."

Jade closed her eyes for a moment, and breathed heavily. "Joy wanted to stop him, but I was angry. I was pissed off because he doesn't want me, and I let him go." She grabbed Eric's shoulders and shook him violently. "You didn't see them? You, we... have to go back."

Eric was still not sure about what had happened. "Did Troy follow me to protect me? I find that hard to believe." He shook his head and gave Jade a lopsided smile. She obviously didn't find it remotely humorous. "Maybe, uh, no. He went there for revenge, and I told Joy to let him go, because I didn't care if he died. But I do care."

Again she shook him vigorously. Eric started to get a picture of what had gone on in the mansion while he was gone. "When did they leave? Did they leave together?" He grabbed Jade's hands and forced them off his shoulders.

Jade shook her head. "No, Joy followed him in the Beamer. She left...maybe ten minutes after." She was a little calmer now and Eric let go of her hands. "Well, I didn't see them. Joy wouldn't know where to go anyway. Call her. Tell her to come back."

The look on Jade's face told him that she hadn't even thought about that. She ran over to the coffee table and grabbed the phone. "I can do that." She flipped through the list, but hesitated for a moment, looking at Alex. "What if they're hiding. Maybe I should wait."

Eric closed his eyes and pushed his hand into his pocket. "Yeah, maybe you should." He waited until Jade had her back turned to him before he looked at his own phone. "I just need to pee, I'll be right back." He walked away, and not knowing if he was doing the right thing, he hurried to find Alex' number and pressed 'call'.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Alex picked up the phone, and pressed it to his ear. He didn't say anything, but it wasn't necessary. Eric started talking immediately. "Troy followed me. He wants revenge. He wants to kill the Argent girl... or Derek... or Stiles, all of them really. Whatever comes first." He was whispering, but there was a nervous tone to his voice. A long silence followed. "Alex? Can you hear me?"

When Alex still didn't reply, Eric obviously got a little worried. "Alex? It is you? What's going on?" He sounded calmer now, but the urgency was still present in his voice. Alex cleared his throat. He didn't know what to say. This call came a few minutes too late. "It's me, but I can't do this. I can't talk with you."

He was about to hang up. The fact that Troy lied there dead would possibly change things. Even if Eric technically had nothing to do with this, it would – for everybody else there – be perceived as an attack from Hester's pack. The others would possibly think that Eric had been there to scout them out.

The conflict in Alex' head was almost unbearable, but he had to make a choice now, so he wouldn't be dragged into this as an accomplice. "I'm sorry. Do not call me again."

As he lowered the phone from his ear, he watched as Scott suddenly disappeared between the cars. Seconds later, everybody could hear a loud scream before he came back with Joy. She was squirming and yelling, but quieted down when Chris aimed the gun at her temple.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Allison took a deep breath. Tears were running down her face when she understood what Derek meant. "It can kill him, you know that." She stroked Stiles' bloodstained cheek. His breathing was labored and she could hear that his heart was struggling to keep up the beat. Derek closed his eyes and swallowed hard. "I know, but you're right. Without it he's going to die for sure. Just..." He was unable to say anything more. He hurried to wipe his eyes before he gave her an almost invisible nod.

Then he lifted Stiles' arm and rolled the sleeve up to the elbow. "Save him. He's my life. Without him, I'm nothing."

Allison hesitated for a split second before she leaned over and sunk her teeth into Stiles' skin. Her tears dripped down and got mixed with Stiles' blood. She could feel Derek's hand on her neck, and wondered if he'd kill her if she couldn't save Stiles. If Derek hadn't spent all his powers to ease the pain he could have done this himself, but now it was up to her.

The moment she opened her mouth and let go of Stiles' arm, Derek wrapped an arm around her and tugged her closer. They both looked down at the almost lifeless body. Suddenly Stiles stopped breathing. His heart was still beating, but Allison knew it would only be a matter of time before it too would cave in. Allison was about to cry out in frustration and sorrow. She could feel Derek's claws dig into her hip, and she welcomed the pain.

A commotion behind them didn't bother her. A loud scream got her a little startled, but she couldn't focus on anything but Stiles right now. If Troy had backup it didn't matter. She had to rely on her dad, Scott and Isaac to have their backs.

She didn't know that she was holding her breath, until the she involuntarily gasped for air. Derek was leaning on her with his whole body-weight, but she managed to hold him up. They both stared at Stiles' face, and Allison knew that Derek's vision was just as clouded by tears as her own.

Derek's heart was beating so hard that she couldn't hear Stiles'. She wanted to lean in for a mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, even if she knew it would be pointless under the circumstances. Time seemed to stand still. Not a sound came from any of the onlookers.

The guttural gasp from Stiles came as a surprise to them both. He coughed a couple of times before he heaved his breath. His eyelids fluttered a bit, but then they fell shut again. The wounds on his neck stopped bleeding, and Allison turned her head briefly to look at his belly. The gash there was still seeping a little, but the flow had diminished significantly. She could hear that Derek's heart skipped a few beats before he almost completely collapsed next to her.

Stiles was laying in his lap and he was still holding on to Allison's hip. She felt that his claws retracted while she did her best to keep him upright.


	70. Chapter 70

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everybody tries to deal with the news about Stiles in their different ways. The dead werewolf and his backup also needs to be taken care of. Allison seems strong and confident, and the others do as she tells them. When Lydia gives her a piece of her mind, she almost fall apart, but Scott is there to hold her.

Stiles was partially conscious and managed to lift his arms to wrap them around Derek's neck. Derek lifted him off the ground and carried him towards the house. They didn't look at any of the others. Scott threw a quick peek at them before he turn his head towards Allison. He was still holding on to Joy's arm; his claws dug deep into her flesh. Joy seemed to be frozen in her position staring down at Troy's body. Chris held the gun firmly pressed against her head as he followed Derek with his eyes.

The intoxication Isaac had felt when they arrived back in the woods was completely gone now. Everything had happened so fast, that he was still a bit confused though. Allison didn't try to get up from the ground, but she lifted her head for a second; her face contorted as if she was in pain. Tears and blood were running down her chin, dripping down, making an abstract pink pattern on her shirt.

Isaac turned towards Derek again. He was on the porch now, and Lydia was holding the door open so he could get inside. He could see her mouth move, but Isaac could not hear what she said. Derek reacted by pushing her away with his shoulder, before he disappeared into the house. She closed the door, but stayed put on the porch.

Alex had stopped in the middle of the yard; his head slumped down, and his shoulders shuddering as if he was crying. Isaac wanted to run over and comfort him, but he didn't want to be the first one to move. He worried that any shift in the scene could cause reactions that none of them wanted.

Eventually, it was Joy who broke the silence. "I came to stop him. I was too late. I'm sorry." Her voice was trembling and she sniffled a little. "Did you..." she hitched her breath. "Did you kill Eric also?"

Chris moved to stand in front of her and pointed the gun towards her heart. "No, but maybe we should've?" He cocked his head and stared into her eyes. "I told you all to stay away from Beacon Hills, and promised to kill you if I ever saw any one of you again." He moved the gun up to her throat. "Alex vouched for Eric, and made us believe that his intentions were good. That was obviously a mistake."

Isaac could see that Joy swallowed hard. Snot and tears were running, but she didn't try to wipe it away. "No, no it wasn't. Please believe me. Eric was only bringing Alex' things here. We didn't even know that he'd been here before, uh, until today."

Alex had obviously heard every word, and Isaac watched as he sunk down to the ground. "It's true. She's telling the truth. Eric didn't know that he was followed." He looked pleadingly at the hunter who now had turned his head towards him. Chris scoffed. "Why should we believe you? You could be in cohorts with them. Maybe we should have killed you instead of bringing you here."

Isaac was about to interfere, when Allison suddenly raised her voice. "Dad! Stop it!" She got to her feet and walked towards her father. "I believe them. Let the girl go, she's no threat to us." Staring into Joy's eyes, she continued addressing her dad. "Thank you for snuffing out the guy that killed... I mean, almost killed Stiles, but I'm taking over now."

Chris lowered his hand, but didn't move away. Allison nudged Scott, and got him to release his grip on the girl. "We will bury him, and you will never find his remains." She nodded towards Troy, before she continued talking to Joy. "I'm sorry I had to kill your aunt, but she threatened my family. She threatened the peace."

Surprisingly enough, Joy seemed to nod as if she agreed, but that was the only reaction. Allison took a step closer. "Do you want peace?" She waited until Joy nodded again. "And your sister?" Another quick nod followed before Allison stepped away. "She's not lying." She turned around and started to walk towards the house. "Dad? Can you get rid of the body?" She didn't look at him as she spoke. When she got to where Alex was sitting on the ground, she grabbed his shoulder and practically lifted him up. "Get it together, everything will be fine." She waved her hand towards the others. "Will you please escort that girl to her car. I don't want to see her when I come back."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Scott stared at Allison's back as she entered the house. Then he turned quickly to look at Mr Argent. He was also staring towards the door, and he looked somewhat baffled. Then he shook his head and walked over to the dead body on the ground. "Alex! You heard her. Do as Allison said."

Alex didn't hesitate any longer, but rushed over and grabbed Joy's wrist. "Come on." He pulled her with him and she followed willingly. Isaac looked at them for a split second before he too took off down the road after them.

As soon as the three of them had disappeared around the curve, Chris dragged Troy's body towards the SUV. "I guess the party's over now." He chuckled humorlessly as he maneuvered the dead werewolf in to back of the car. "It was definitely memorable."

He was about to get into the driver's seat, but then he came over to Scott. "Take care of her. She's gonna need all the support she can get." Again, he stared at the house. Scott had no idea what Chris was talking about. Allison seemed fine. Scott agreed with her decision to let Joy go, and he was pretty sure the others supported it also. "I'm sure Derek would have said the same, he trusts her judgment."

Chris shook his head and smiled a little. "I didn't mean..." He huffed. "I don't know what I meant." He started to walk towards the SUV again. "I'm really not sure what happened. I was too busy saving your ass."

Scott rolled his eyes. "Yeah, right. I could have taken him." He wasn't quite sure about that; he'd been a little distracted with his concern for Stiles. What he knew for sure was that he was stronger than Troy, and if he'd wanted to kill the guy, he would have managed.

The hunter didn't reply. As soon as he was behind the wheel, he backed up almost into the woods, before he sped out of there.

When Scott turned to walk up to the house, Allison came out. She gestured for Lydia to follow her, and together they came towards Scott. "Everything is fine. Stiles will be okay, but they are gonna stay for a little while longer."

Scott would have wanted to check on Stiles himself, but there was something in Allison's voice that told him not to question it. There was a few other things he felt the need to address thought. "How can Stiles be fine? He must be seriously injured; I saw him fly through the air."

A shiver went through Allison, before she stopped and closed her eyes. "You didn't see what happened?" She sighed heavily. "I thought you all knew." She threw a quick peek at Lydia. "Except for you, maybe."

She swallowed before she straightened herself up. "Stiles was dying. Maybe he even did die for a moment. It was only one way to save him." Scott could feel his eyes widen; he knew instantly what Allison was going to tell them. He had suspected it, but when nobody said anything, he'd pushed it away. "Derek gave him the bite? Really?" He stared at Allison, and again he felt the need to check on his friend. Allison shook her head. "No! Derek didn't, I did. He begged me, and I knew it had to be done."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

When they came to the crossroad, Alex gave Joy's arm a quick squeeze before he let go. The walk had gone on in complete silence, but as she was standing next to the car she looked at him and smiled, it didn't quite reach her eyes, but that was understandable under the circumstances. "I'm sorry Troy is dead, but he did this to himself. We, Jade and I, we were done. Revenge was off the table for us." She opened the door and nodded towards Isaac. "Is this your, your boyfriend?"

Alex looked at Isaac and eased an arm around his waist. "It is. Look." He held his hand out so she could see the ring. "I'm happy. I'm sorry about everything too, but this is where I wanna be now. I belong here with him."

Joy's eyes lit up for a second. "Oh, yeah. Thank you for the rings. I almost forgot." She looked at Alex' finger again. "I'm happy for you. Believe me on that. I'm sure Jade will be happy for you also." She reached into the car and picked out her phone. "I better call them and tell them what happened, and that I'm on my way back."

When Alex let his hand run over Isaac's back, he could feel that his boyfriend was very tense. He hadn't said a word since he came back to the woods with Mr Argent, but now it seemed like a was about to burst.

Just as Joy was about to close the car door, Isaac rushed over and grabbed a hold of it. "How can you be so calm about this? I feel there's something you're not telling us." Alex followed him and tried to pull him away, but Isaac held on to the door. "NO! We killed her mom, I mean, her aunt. She just lost another member of the pack, but still she acts like nothing bad happened."

Joy had the phone pressed to her ear, but then she lowered it and looked at Isaac. "It's done. We can never get them back." She threw a quick peek at the phone and lifted it to her ear again. "Sorry sis. I'll call you back in a minute." She hung up and turned back to Isaac. "You were just protecting yourselves. Hester attacked the Argent girl for no reason, and everything that followed was a result of that."

Alex knew that the woman had a reason for the attack, but it was pretty far fetched. He knew that Hester's urge to revenge her brother was the reason that she'd collaborated with that alpha pack in the first pace. She wanted to kill Chris Argent. His daughter was just collateral damage. Troy was the only one who had supported her mission unconditionally. Even Eric had been a little reluctant about it.

Joy folded her hands in her lap and sighed. "What seems to be a tragedy, can also be a blessing. I wanted revenge at first, and it does sadden me that she's gone, but new opportunities have risen." She looked down at her hands. "Does it make me a bad person if I say I feel free?" Both Isaac and Alex shook their heads, but she didn't seem to notice. "We had everything we wanted. We were spoiled rotten, but we were never truly free."

When Isaac let go of the car door, she looked up at him. "I have to call my sister again. She will probably cry a little when she learns that Troy won't come back, but now she can move on. She loved him, you know."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Derek laid Stiles down on the makeshift couch they'd made out of pallets and blankets. It was a little short, but it didn't matter. He sat down on the floor and, resting his head on Stiles' chest, . "I'm so sorry about this, but it was the only way." Stiles looked at him under heavy eyelids. "What do you mean? I thought I was going to die, but I feel... fine."

The little hesitation made Derek lift his head and stare into his lover's eyes. "Do you really?" He grabbed his hand. Stiles nodded a little. "I do, but... why?" Suddenly, Stiles moved to sit up and Derek scooted away to let him. "I couldn't move. I thought my back... or my neck was broken."

They both turned when they heard the door open. Allison came inside an hurried over to them. She looked horrible. Black streaks from her mascara made semi parallel lines on her cheeks. Her chin was partially covered in blood and her shirt was stained with it.

Stiles stared at her for a second before he chuckled a little. "Shouldn't you start wearing waterproof makeup?" He shook his head. "Sorry, sorry. I'm sorry." He managed to calm down when he obviously noticed that Allison was not humored.

She came over and looked down at them. "We're going to leave now. I think it's better you stay here for a while." She rubbed her chin, smearing the blood out even more. Stiles shifted his gaze between Derek and Allison. "What's going on?"

Derek got up and gave her a quick hug. "It's okay. Just go. We'll be fine. I'll tell him." He noticed that Stiles was about to get up also, but Derek pushed him back. "Please sit. Allison knows what she's doing. We will stay here for a little while longer."

Allison bent down and gave Stiles' cheek a quick stroke. "I'm sorry, but it was the only way." Then, she turned and walked away. Seconds later, the door slammed shut after her.

When Derek felt a tug on his shirt, he sat down next to his boyfriend. Stiles looked a little confused. "She used the exact same words. What are you talking about? The only way for what?"

Derek eased his arm around Stiles' neck and tugged him into an embrace. "You're not going to like this, but it was the only way." He could feel that Stiles tried to come loose. "And then again. The only way for what?" Stiles gave up, and rested his head on Derek's shoulder. "I died, didn't I? You gave me the bite, didn't you."

He wished that was the truth. Derek dug his face into Stiles' neck, and kissed the bloodstained skin. "I didn't. Allison did. She gave you the bite because... I couldn't." He raised his head and stared into Stiles' eyes. "My powers were spent, and I' don't know if they'll come back."

After a significant time of silence, Derek lifted his head. "Let's just stay here. I have a couple of blankets in the car." He took a couple of deep breaths. "This is still my house."

Stiles cocked his head. "So what your saying is that I'm going to become a werewolf? I'm going to become Allison's beta?" He sighed heavily, and rested his head on Derek's shoulder. "As long as we can be together forever, I'm fine with that."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"So I'm the only one left now." Lydia frowned as she walked towards her car. "Stiles is going to become a werewolf, and he's going to be the best one ever." She opened the door and turned to Allison. "I understand that he was dying and that you did it to save him, but did you ever stop to ask yourself: 'Is this what he wants?' I think not."

Allison stared at her friend. She was pretty sure Stiles wanted to live. She'd been through the same and in her position, the choice was even harder. "He's probably going to be angry, but when he realizes that we didn't have any other option, he's going to deal with it."

Lydia jumped into her car, and turned the ignition key before she leaned out the window. "I'm happy he's not dead, but it should have been his choice. Until I get to talk to him myself, we are not friends."

Allison chest tightened, and the pain in her heart was excruciating. She knew she'd saved Stiles' life, but she too was concerned about the outcome. She nodded towards Lydia as she wiped her eyes. "I know. I agree, but I didn't get a chance to think." When Lydia started to back up her car, Allison ran over. "Give me a chance. I love you. You're my best friend."

She didn't get a reply. A few seconds later, it was only the dust lingering over the road that showed that a car had just left the premises.

She turned to Scott, hoping for a better response from him. He held his arms out for her to dive into them. "Let's go. Let's go to my place. My mom is at work." He wrapped his arms around her and tugged her close.

"You're not angry?" She dared a quick peak at her boyfriend. Scott tugged her even closer, and gave her a kiss on the ear. "I am. Maybe a little but, but I love you. I believe you did it to save him. I'm not so sure that he will understand immediately, but I will do my best to make him understand."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

A half moon was hanging over Beacon Hills. The streets seemed almost abandoned. There were still a few people out – it was after all a Saturday night – but until the clubs closed in a couple of hours, it would usually be reasonably quiet.

Allison was in bed waiting for Scott. He had to go to the loft to help Alex and Isaac with the dog. She was fine with that. Having a little time for herself was good. It was impossible to relax; she knew exactly what would be expected of her from now on. It was kind of scary, and she didn't know if she was up for it.

On the other side of town, in the posh neighborhood where the Martins resided, Lydia sat on her bed crying. She didn't want to lose Allison as her friend, but she was angry about what had happened. Deep down, she also knew that if she was the one who had to make this choice, she would have done everything in her power to save Stiles. She wouldn't have stopped to ask herself if that was what he wanted. She would selfishly have given him the bite, making the same decision as Derek and Allison did.

It had been an unusually quiet Saturday night so far. At the police station, Mr Stilinski printed out all the information he'd found about Sonya Johnson and her daughter. He slipped outside, and tucked it into the glove compartment of his car before he went back inside. He didn't know how to break the news to Alex; they guy didn't even know about the search, but there was no way around it.

Isaac slumped down on the couch as soon as they came to the loft. He was exhausted. The events of this evening had taken it's toll. The happiness he felt struggled with the concern he had for Stiles. The fact that Stiles got the bite was – for Isaac – a good thing. He wanted them to be all equals at the house, and a human in the pack could've stirred things up. Not that he ever doubted Stiles' commitment, but now it was done and it couldn't be taken back.

The fact that Derek himself hadn't done it, was a bit disturbing for Isaac. He pondered a little over the reason for that, but didn't get a chance to continue his train of thought, before Scott and Alex urged him to come with them to walk the dog.

A few miles down south, Joy was playing softly on the piano. Eric and Jade were cuddled up on the couch. The news about Troy's death had saddened them, but none of them felt any urge to avenge it. The three inhabitants of the mansion had – without uttering many words about it – agreed to let it go and move on.

Chris Argent was sitting on a rock overlooking the small lake. Troy's body was burnt and buried, but he needed a moment before he went back home. His daughter had possibly taken over the pack; he wasn't quite sure. The dynamic between her and Derek after this incident told it's own story. The only question now was if Derek would challenge her to get it back. Chris didn't think so, but he could feel a lingering worry regarding this.

He looked up at the moon. In about two weeks it would be full. What happened with Stiles during these weeks would probably have a huge impact. If he accepted Allison as his Alpha, it would probably not be an issue for any of the others; not even Derek.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I managed to lose a whole chapter, and are doing my best to piece it together again. Frustration level is high here. I need some time. I was ahead, but now I'm not. I think I was a little too cocky about my progress to notice that I forgot to save it. It was ready for my beta, but I managed to overwrite with notes for my next chapter. The only comfort I can give myself, is that I wasn't completely satisfied with it in the first place.


	71. Chapter 71

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Having a dog is not easy. Naming a dog is a little bit easier.
> 
> Stiles is confused, but he knows that he doesn't want to sleep at the house. Derek fills him in partially as he takes him to the loft. In the morning, Stiles is well enough for some sexy time. Allison feels remorse for what happened, and it is possibly making her sick. Mr Stilinski decides to tell Alex everything about his mom as soon as possible. Chris plans to call in the help again, and we learn why they are helping. Allison and Scott talks a little about the pack's future.

"We had him for almost two weeks. He is used to sleeping in a kennel." Scott had been very strict when Alex wanted to let the dog sleep on the bed. "You do not want to spoil him."

Scott had come with them to the loft, just to give them a quick tutorial on keeping a dog. It had been alone for less than an hour, but as soon as they opened the kennel, he had been all over Scott. He was yapping happily, and Alex almost got a little jealous.

After taking it for a short walk up and down the street, where the little thing had spent most of the time circling Scott's feet while whimpering loudly, he'd finally done his business.

Back at the loft, they let him walk around a bit so he could get used to his new home. He seemed a little timid at first, but it didn't take long before he was curiously sniffing around at it's surroundings. Ever so often it peeked over at Scott, as if it wanted to make sure he was still there.

"He doesn't care about us." Alex pouted a little when he didn't manage to get the puppy's attention. "What will happen when you leave?" Scott had chuckled a little. "Remember, I was the one who fed it and walked it while he was at the clinic. He doesn't know you yet." He scratched the dog's head as it passed them on it's second round through the loft. "It will only take a few days for him to learn who to turn to for food and affection."

Isaac seemed way more relaxed about the whole thing. He had been sitting on the couch since they came in; watching the dog as it walked around. He didn't do anything to catch it's attention. For a moment, Alex wondered if he even cared.

"I have to go. Allison is waiting." Scott sat down on the floor, and managed to get the puppy to come over. "Call me any time if you need advice." The puppy rolled over to let Scott pat his belly. "I mean... any time."

A few minutes later, he'd left. The dog whimpered loudly by the door, and Alex got a little freaked out. "Isaac! He wants to go with Scott. What should we do?" He bent over to pick it up, but hesitated. "What if he doesn't like me? Uh, us?"

He could hear that Isaac drew his breath, before he got up from the couch. "He doesn't know us yet. We have to show him that we will care for him. Didn't you listen to what Scott said?" Without much ado, he picked up the puppy and cradled it in his arm. "Daddy Alex and daddy Isaac will take care of you Little Guy, but I think it's time for a good night's sleep now."

Squirming a little at first, the dog soon fell to rest in Isaac's arms. "Grab the kennel, and put it in our room." He walked over to the door and managed to open it without letting go of the dog. "We have to find a name for him soon. 'Little Guy' doesn't sit well with me."

Alex picked up the kennel and followed Isaac into the room. "Are we going to let him sleep in this box all by himself?" He sat it down by the window. "He's just a baby."

Isaac sighed heavily. "I think it's best. We don't want to teach him bad habits. He needs to know his place."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"Do we have anything to drink?" Stiles was extremely thirsty. When he spotted a bottle of water on the table, he got up from the makeshift couch to grab it. Derek was faster and reached out to grab the bottle. "Please sit. You are still not completely back to normal." He gave it to Stiles and panned the room. "You look like shit, maybe we should use some of that water to clean you up. I think this is the only liquid left here."

Stiles took a big sip before he turned to his boyfriend. "Oh, thank you for the compliment. I feel like shit too." He looked down at himself. "I see your point, but water can't fix this." His shirt was torn and bloodstained. "I want to go home and take a shower. Why are we still here?"

Derek obviously didn't have an answer ready. He shifted a little in his seat before he looked up. "I thought... Maybe you needed some time to adjust." He grabbed Stiles' arm and held it up. "You got the bite. Most people can't..."

Stiles looked at his arm where the teethmarks were clearly visible. "I'm not most people." He kept staring at his arm. "Allison did that?" Stiles peeked over at Derek before he shifted his gaze back at the wound again. "You know... It doesn't look so bad. I saw Scott's wound and it was..." He tried to get up, but his body wasn't quite ready. "Okay. I'm not fully healed, but can you please get me home?"

He knew that a wound inflicted by an Alpha would take longer to heal; he'd probably have a scar for a few days. The rest of his body should be fine shortly, and staying here was not an option. He wanted to rest and get better in a proper bed.

When Derek looked at him with concern written all over his face, Stiles understood why. His boyfriend was afraid that he'd freak out about this sooner or later. Maybe he would, but at the moment, he wasn't interested in staying here to sleep on this sorry excuse for a bed.

"Your powers were spent?" Stiles wondered what Derek meant by that, and had to ask. "Are you like... weaker now, or what?" Derek seemed reluctant to answer. He got up and reached for Stiles' hand. "Come on, lets go home."

Stiles managed to get up, but had to lean on Derek heavily as they walked towards the front door. "Tell me! What happened?" Out on the porch, Derek let go for a second while he locked the door. Then he wrapped his arm around him and sighed. "It means just that. Look at me."

Staring into Derek's eyes, Stiles saw them turn bright blue. "I'm not an alpha anymore. I lost it." Derek looked away and took the few steps off the porch practically carrying Stiles. Slightly baffled by the news, Stiles shook his head. "How'd that happen? It can't just go away like that. Can it?"

Derek didn't say anything until they'd reached the car. He opened the passenger door and helped Stiles inside. "I was in denial about your condition. I thought we could save you without the bite. I took your pain away. It drained me completely."

Stiles rolled his eyes. "So what your saying is that we're all Allison's bitches now?" He chuckled humorlessly. "I don't know know how to deal with that." Derek jumped into the driver's seat and shook his head before he turned the ignition key. "I don't know how to deal with it either. We'll just have to wait and see. Maybe it's a good thing."

-o-o-o-o-o-

Allison woke up with a serous headache. It was very disturbing. She didn't think a werewolf could have that. Scott was sleeping soundly next to her, and she scooted over silently to get out of bed without waking him.

When she put her feet on the floor she realized that she was quite nauseous also. It shouldn't be possible. Allison knew for sure that she didn't drink that much last night; or maybe she did? Even if she wasn't drunk, she might have drank more wine than she'd ever done before. As a werewolf, she had a higher tolerance. Maybe she could still get hung over, even if she didn't feel the buzz?

Sitting there on the edge of the bed, she suddenly remembered that it wasn't only alcohol she'd ingested. She'd given Stiles the bite. She didn't actually drink his blood, but some of it had entered her throat. She'd actually turned Stiles, and it could be the reason for her not feeling too well at the moment.

A small hiccup gave her a taste of puke in her mouth, and it forced her to get up and run to the bathroom. She spit into the toilet and sank down on the floor, leaning her head on the seat. She waited until she was sure she wouldn't vomit before she returned to the room. The nausea was still bothering her, but it was manageable, so she went back to bed.

Scott had told her that he'd stand behind her regardless, but none of them knew how Stiles would react. She also didn't know if Derek would reveal that he'd lost his alpha status, or if he'd try to get it back. Allison knew that the relationship between her and Derek had changed, but she didn't know if this would become a permanent situation.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Alex startled when he felt something wet against his shoulder. He wasn't quite awake yet, and tried to wipe it away with his hand. It didn't hurt when the puppy nibbled at his finger, but he flipped around staring into a set of light blue eyes with fur all around.

Isaac was still sleeping, at least it looked and sounded like he was. Alex stretched his neck so he could see the kennel. The door was wide open; he could have sworn he latched it securely last night.

"You're like Houdini, aren't you?" He whispered as he scratched the dog's head. "Houdini?" He said it again a little louder. He thought about it. It wasn't the worst name for a dog. At that moment, Isaac started to turn over. His eyes were still shut, but there was a little smile tugging his lips. "He didn't brake out by himself. I let him out." He opened his eyes and looked at Alex apologetically. "Sorry, but Houdini doesn't really fit."

Whether it was the fact that they were both awake, or if it was for any other reason, the puppy started yapping loudly, jumping around between them. "Maybe we better take him out for a walk. I know Scott said he was housebroken, but lets not take any chances." Alex rolled over and climbed out of bed. The puppy tried to follow him, but it was obviously a little reluctant to jump off. He stared at Alex with his gorgeous, almost ice blue eyes.

"Come on Periwinkle, it's not that high." When the puppy didn't dare the plunge anyway, he picked it up and sat it on the floor. "Periwinkle? Are you kidding me." Isaac was still lying in bed, but he looked a little more awake now. Alex chuckled a little. "I, uh... Did you see his eyes?"

Isaac managed to give him a small nod from his position. "I did, but Periwinkle? I will always think about that as a cat's name." Lazily, he started to get out of bed too. "I mean... call him Rover or Hunter or, or Blue. But Periwinkle? That's so gay."

Alex walked over to the kennel and picked up the leash that was lying on top of it. He huffed and cocked is head quickly to the side as he rolled his eyes. "I didn't think of it as a name, but now that you mention it, I think Periwinkle is perfect!" He managed to clasp the leash on the dog's collar, and stomped out of the room. "By the way, Honey Bun, I am gay. Unless you come up with something soon, Periwinkle it is."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Stiles lied in bed, staring into the ceiling. He'd never thought he wanted to get the bite, but he knew for sure that he didn't want to die either. Deep down, he was happy that Derek made the decision to save his life, but when it had to be like this, he wished that Derek could have done it himself.

Ever since Allison became an Alpha, he'd lobbied hard for Derek as a leader. Stiles had suspected that Allison would challenge him, even if her demeanor said otherwise. After her own transformation – long before she became an Alpha herself – she'd supported Derek. Stiles knew that she wasn't too impressed by his leadership-abilities, but she was seriously thinking about joining his pack.

At the moment, Stiles was very conflicted. The bond he had with Derek was stronger than ever, but he could also sense a bond with Allison. He knew for sure that she'd be perfect for the role, but in his heart, he felt that he was betraying his boyfriend when the thought entered his mind.

There was a small commotion in the living room, and Stiles got a little surprised when he could hear Alex and Isaac's voices loud and clear. He knew it was the werewolf senses that kicked in, and it bothered him a little. The two of them were whispering, and they probably didn't know that their little argument was overheard.

Stiles knew that Derek was capable of tuning it out, and eventually he'd learn to do that too, but at the moment, it felt like he was eavesdropping. Luckily, it didn't take long before they were out the door. He knew they were going to walk the dog, and that they'd be back shortly.

"Periwinkle! Periwinkle?" He wasn't aware that he'd said it out loud before Derek turned to him with a confused expression on his face. "What? What are you talking about?" He reached his hand out and grabbed onto Stiles' pajama pants, before he pulled him closer. "Relax! Sleep! And why are you wearing pants?"

With his body practically flush with Derek's, he wondered about the same thing. He and Derek had slept naked for the longest time. "You tell me. I was a little, uh... bitten last night, I could probably not think straight."

He rubbed himself against Derek's body, and he could feel his boyfriends boner through the fabric. "Oh baby! You have the hots for me?" He reached his hand down and wrapped it around Derek's dick. "We're alone for...uh, I don't know... ten minutes?" Stiles gave Derek a wink. "How long does it take to walk a dog?"

With a quick move from Derek, Stiles was on his back. "Not long." His pajama pants got pulled down. "This will be an example of a true 'quickie'." His hand moved down to Stiles' asshole, and without much ado, he inserted two fingers. Stiles was so not prepared, and screamed out in pain. "Are you crazy? It hurts."

Derek used his other arm to lift himself up. "You'll heal. Embrace the pain." He pushed his fingers further in. "Trust me. When you can heal so easily, you are going to crave the pain you can get. You taught me that."

Stiles arched his back. "Ouch! What are you talking about? I never...oh." He relaxed into the mattress again. He remembered vividly the flogging that Derek had seemed to treasure so much. "We don't have much time, they'll be back soon. I can take it."

Derek was considerate enough to use a small amount of lube before he without hesitation rammed his dick into Stiles' ass. Halfway prepared for the attack, Stiles managed to muffle his scream with a pillow. As soon as Derek found the rhythm, it actually felt fine. The constant burn during every thrust was actually quite arousing.

The sound of footsteps on the stairs told him that time was running out, but it only lifted the excitement to a new level. When Derek's claws dug into Stiles' thighs, he practically convulsed in pleasure. Seconds later, and without a single touch, his dick squirted out cum. Derek practically fell down on top of him, as he also released his load.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Mr Stilinski drove slowly down the street. He'd decided to share the information with Alex as soon as possible, but he wasn't looking forward to it. The fact that the guy had no knowledge about the search in the first place would possibly make this a little awkward.

He was going to give a little white lie; not only to justify that he had snooped through Sonya's life story, but also in order to save Stiles and Isaac's asses.

As he turned into the the street where Derek's loft was, he saw a couple of characters in the distance. Alex, with his wild, long hair, was crouching down, while Isaac was leaning casually against the wall, yawning.

He wondered what the two of them where doing out there so early, until he saw the little dog sitting on the pavement in front of Alex. It looked like Alex was trying to make it move, but instead the puppy just lied down flat on it's side.

As Mr Stilinski closed in, both the boys looked over. They let the dog be for a moment as he parked next to them and jumped out. "Walking your new dog?" He looked down at it. "I guess he thinks this walk was long enough."

Alex threw his hands out and sighed. "But he didn't poop yet." He pulled on the leash a little, but the dog stayed put. Mr Stilinski bent over and scratched his ear. "Did he get breakfast?" When both boys shook their heads, he smiled. "Give him some food and wait a half hour; then you can take him out again."

Isaac yawned again. "Can I sleep a little more while we wait?" He didn't hesitate before he just picked up the puppy and started walking towards the door. Alex still held the leash and had to hurry to catch up. "What are you doing here, Mr Stilinski? Will you come up? I'll make coffee." Alex had his back turned to him as he spoke. "Isaac, hold on."

Up at the loft, Isaac put the dog down and walked straight to his bedroom. "Wake me up when he's ready to go." Alex seemed a little lost, but he then moved over to the kitchen and grabbed two bowls. He filled one of them with water, and in the other he poured some dog food from a small bag. The little puppy didn't wait until the bowls were on the floor, he practically dived over causing a small spill of both water and kibbles.

"I guess he was hungry then." Alex almost looked like he was going to cry. "We're so clueless. I..." He wiped his nose quickly before he went back to the counter and made coffee. "Do you want me to wake up Stiles?"

-o-o-o-o-o-

Chris came to the house in the early morning hours. He knew that he'd be alone. The party last night dragged out, and with the small fight at the tail-end of it, he was pretty sure that everybody who'd been a part of it had other things on their mind.

He took a walk through it to assess the progress, and decided that it was time to call in the reinforcements again. Most of the walls were up, and all the bathroom fixtures were due to be delivered next week.

Without being too optimistic, Chris figured that in a couple of weeks, they'd have running water and a hook up to the electric grid.

He pondered on calling Derek to tell him about the plan, but didn't want to disturb him at the moment. There would be time enough to go through this later; Dave and his buddies would probably need a few days before they would actually show up.

Dave was running a well renowned gun shop in Huston. He was a certified electrician, but when his uncle wanted him to take over the business, he'd grabbed the opportunity with both hands. It was a more relaxed life, and more money to be made.

When his uncle died on the day of the takeover, Dave had no clue about how to manage the store. His uncle was supposed to show him the ropes and work with him for as long as it took, but the guy decided to go ahead and have a heart attack. Dave and his brother – the monkey man – did their best, but eventually he called Chris.

They had met briefly at a gun show somewhere in Florida more than ten years ago. The takeover was already planned, but wouldn't actually happen for another few months. They got introduced by Dave's uncle, and he'd mentioned that if anything went wrong, Mr. Argent was the man to turn to. Chris remembered the hunts he'd been on with the old man, and how the old-timer had saved his life on more than one occasion, so he happily agreed to assist Dave if he needed it.

When asked, Chris jumped on a plane and spent a whole summer in Huston to help the – at that point in time – almost bankrupt business. He'd made it perfectly clear that Dave was going to need a business partner to stay afloat. He'd need someone who could take care of the finances. Chris had been tempted, but he liked the independence he had, and he'd urged Dave to find someone else.

Dave's old high school friend Mouth – nobody knew how he acquired that nickname; he barely ever said a word – was running his own plumbing business. While working as a plumber he'd managed to get through business-school, and now he had several shops. He didn't do much plumbing himself anymore, but ever so often he strapped on the tools to help a friend. Dave had suggested him as a partner, and the rest was history.

Chris had denied any pay for his work. He'd suggested to take a rain-check, and when he asked them for help with the house, the guys were ready and willing to pay him back.

-o-o-o-o-o-

When Allison came back from the bathroom, Scott peeked at her under half-lidded eyes. She didn't look well. She'd taken a shower last night, but hadn't managed to remove all the eye-makeup. The faint black lines under her eyes stood in sharp contrast to her – at the moment – unusually pale face.

She crawled under the blanket again and without saying a word, she scooted closer and rested her head on Scott's shoulder. He was pretty sure he knew why she felt a little under the weather. She'd been quite clear about it when she'd told him that she didn't want to turn anybody to form a pack. That she was forced to give Stiles the bite, was probably haunting her now. He stroked her back to try to sooth her, and she seemed to relax somewhat.

"Will Stiles be like my Beta now?" Allison's voice trembled a little when she spoke. "I mean, how does this work?" Scott didn't have an answer, but it was quite possible. "I really don't know, but I think the real question is: Will Derek be your Beta?"

He could feel that Allison got startled. She lifted her head and stared into his eyes. "Derek? He is not... What are you saying. He spent his powers to ease Stiles' pain, but he'll get it back, right?" Scott could practically see how her mind was working overtime. If Derek had lost his status as an Alpha, he couldn't just get it back with a snap of his fingers. Allison had to be aware of that.

"How can I look Stiles in the eyes again?" She rolled over to her back and stared into the ceiling. "He never wanted the bite, but that I think he can handle. If Derek lost his, his... If Derek is a beta now, Stiles will never forgive me."

Scott turned to her baffled. "What? You didn't do anything. You saved his life when Derek couldn't. Why the hell would he hold any of this against you?"

Allison sighed heavily before she turned over to face him again. "If we're going to keep this pack together without Derek as the Alpha, I have to take over. Stiles doesn't want that. You know how his been lobbying for Derek. He doesn't want the 'Argent-bitch' to run the show."

It was kind of amusing how Allison referred to herself in third-person, but Scott didn't feel the urge to laugh. "This 'Argent-bitch' you're talking about would be a perfect leader. I think she knows that. I also think that Stiles will realize it sooner or later."


	72. Chapter 72

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mr Stilinski comes to the loft to tell Alex about his mom and his sister. Stiles freaks out when he hear his dad's voice. Melissa feels the need for adult company and makes a bold move. Chris is thinking about his daughter and what the future will hold for her and the pack. With the news about Alex' family taking everybody's attention, Stiles feels left out and ignored. Derek has his own set of concerns, but doesn't want to share them with anybody.

"Do you want me to wake up Stiles?" Alex was pretty sure Stiles' dad didn't know about the little incident last night, and he felt no need to reveal it either. "No! No, let him sleep. I came her to talk with you." Mr Stilinski grabbed the cup he was handed and took a sip from it. "Wow, excellent coffee."

Alex got a little nervous. If the guy was on duty it could be multiple reasons for this. There could be long lost charges against him for all sorts of criminal activity; braking and entering, prostitution, thievery, or maybe something regarding drugs. The list was long.

"Me? What would a police officer want with me?" He put on his most innocent face as he lifted his own cup to his lips. He put it down quickly when he realized that his hand was shaking. Mr Stilinski took another sip. "I'm not here on duty. Well, sort of, but this is completely off the record."

Alex relaxed somewhat, but he didn't let his guard down completely. "Okay. I'm intrigued." He looked down at the puppy who was busy 'inhaling' the food. Stiles' dad leaned back and sighed heavily. He took a moment, which told Alex that this wasn't easy for him either.

"Your name came up, uh, in an investigation." He threw a quick peek at Alex as he twirled the cup in his hands. "Your mom, Sonya Johnson, is in jail on a murder charge."

The fact that it had nothing to do with him personally was a relief, and it took a split second before Alex realized what the man had said. He held his breath for a moment. "What? My mom? Murder? What?" The shivers, that he'd just managed to get under control came back, and he had to hold on to the counter to keep himself up.

"Alex. Please sit. Can you please come and sit down." Stilinski patted the seat next to him, and as in a trance, Alex walked over and slumped down. "There has to be a mistake." He looked up at the man who was now shaking his head. "No mistake. She admitted that she'd shot her husband, but that isn't all."

How could that not be more than enough? Alex didn't even know how he felt about this. His mom had finally got rid of her husband. He was pretty sure there could have been better ways to do it, but after all these years, he was gone. "I, I don't know what to say."

Mr Stilinski cleared his throat. "I don't know... I guess you're not aware of it, but you have a sister." He put the cup down and grabbed Alex when he almost fell of his seat. "You have a six year old sister who is currently in foster care. They are searching for relatives."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Stiles and Derek had heard every word exchanged between Alex and Stiles' dad. When Stiles got aware of his dad's presence, he'd almost freaked out. He'd wondered why he was there so early, and feared that he knew what had happened last night.

Another issue was that he was currently reeking of sex and facing his dad at the moment was not desired.

When he realized that this had nothing to do with him, Stiles had relaxed, but curiosity made him eavesdrop on the conversation. Not that he had a choice. He couldn't tune it out, even if he wanted to. He noticed that Derek was also keenly listening in, and as the information trickled in, they looked at each other wide-eyed.

Loud yapping paused the conversation for a moment, and then Alex shouted a little hysterically: "Isaac, get up. You have to take Peri out now. I... can't move."

A small commotion followed, before Mr Stilinski's voice was heard. "I'll take the dog. Let this sink in. Tell Isaac about it. I'll be back shortly."

As soon as the door closed, Sties didn't waste a second. He jumped out of bed, and urged Derek to get up too. "We have to take a shower before he's back. Hurry!" Completely naked, he ran out of the room and practically dived into the bathroom. In the corner of his eyes, he could see Isaac and Alex cuddled together on the couch, but he didn't say anything to them.

He hurried to turn on the shower, and got under the streaming water to rinse of the cum and sweat from this morning's little exercise. He was practically done when Derek entered with a pile of clothes. "Thought it would be better if you meet your dad dressed. Don't you agree?" He put down the lid on the toilet, and dumped the clothes on top of it before he too got into the shower.

Stiles managed to get dressed, and he felt reasonably presentable when he walked into the living room; just as his dad came back.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Ever since the divorce, Melissa hadn't dated much. She'd been out to dinner with a couple of guys, but it never led to anything. Dr Howard – the most handsome man she'd ever had the pleasure of laying her eyes on – had pursued her for a while. It was quite intriguing until she discovered that he was a self-absorbed control freak.

If she'd wanted a casual, clandestine relationship, there was multiple options at the hospital. Working long hours together, it was quite common for the staff to hook up for a quick release between emergencies.

Melissa had never done that. As a single mom, she'd done her best to be with her son as much as possible. Instead of crashing in the break-room when she had a couple of hours off between two back-to-back shifts, she'd hurried home to be with Scott.

Things looked different now. Scott was going to move out whether she liked it or not. Until he turned eighteen, she could hold him back, but he'd really already moved on. The house in the woods wouldn't be finished until long after his birthday anyway.

At Alex' party – Isaac's and Alex' party – she'd tried to be more 'Melissa' than a mother. It wasn't easy; she'd totally forgot how it was to completely be herself. At the dining table, she'd been seated next to Mr Stilinski, and the two of them had joked about how their sons were 'grownups' soon. Chris was sitting opposite them and was perfectly capable of relating to it.

It was sad to have to leave. She'd felt so comfortable talking with these men. For the first time in ages she'd let her concerns for her son rest, and enjoy the casual company of someone closer to her own age without it being work related.

When Stiles' dad learned that she had to work the night shift too, he'd jokingly suggested that they could have breakfast together in the morning. She'd laughed it away, but as she walked to her car in the morning, she regretted that. Grabbing a sandwich and eating it all by herself before she went to bed made her feel lonely. She knew that Scott and Allison were at the house, but she was still a little uncomfortable about them sharing a bed, and didn't feel like waking them up.

With a sigh she picked out her phone. She stared at it for the longest time before she pressed 'call'. When Mr Stilinski answered she drew her breath quickly. "How about that breakfast?"

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

After two hours alone at the house, Chris started to get a little impatient. He hadn't really expected anyone to show up yet, but he was extremely curious about the outcome of the incident last night. He'd picked up his phone several times, pondering on making a call or two, but he didn't want to act like an nagging teenager.

His curiosity was partially directed towards Stiles. The boy had bore his humanity with pride among all his werewolf friends. He'd never showed any urge to be turned, and he was even a little cocky about it. Chris knew that deep down, Derek believed that the relationship between him and Stiles would be easier if Stiles got the bite, but he'd too respected Stiles' choice.

It couldn't be easy for any of them to wake up to this new reality. Calling Derek at this moment could stir things up, and Chris felt that it was a little selfish of him to bother them at this point.

More so than Stiles' state of mind, Chris wondered about how his own daughter was doing. Allison had showed great leading skills after giving Stiles the bite. She'd wrapped everything up so nicely and made sure that Derek and Stiles got a bit of alone time.

The overflow of adrenaline that pumped though her body probably helped; she was trained to act like this in critical situations. In a crisis where a weaker person would collapse or flee, she managed to stay calm and collected due to her training as a hunter.

It couldn't last forever. Chris knew that when everything was over and the hormone-levels came back to normal, everybody would experience some kind of backlash. He knew that Allison was with Scott at the McCall house, and he hoped that the boy was able to deal with whatever reaction Allison had.

Speculating about it was probably not healthy, but Chris couldn't help himself. If he'd got it right; if Derek had lost his Alpha status, it was very important that Allison kept her head straight. There was no doubt in Chris' mind that his daughter would have to lead this pack if Derek couldn't. Scott would never even try to challenge it, but she had to show the others that she'd be perfect for the role.

For Chris, it was the most natural thing in the world to support a female leader; among hunters it had always been like that. With werewolves, it was more random; it was based more on abilities than gender. In human society, a female leader faced bigger challenges than a male, and Chris worried that these young boys were still too influenced by that.

Allison had to show no weakness whatsoever if she wanted the boys' respect. From day one – this day – she had to step up and assume her position without hesitation. She had to show them without a shred of doubt that she was up for it.

Chris shook his head and cursed to himself. It was futile to spend time pondering over this. He still felt an urge to call her and tell her, but he had to trust that she knew what she was doing. He didn't even know if Derek really lost his status; he was a main piece of this puzzle, and speculating wasn't going to change that.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Mr Stilinski got very surprised when he received a call from Melissa. He was still at the loft, but there wasn't much more he could do there at the moment. After filling in Stiles and Derek on what he'd found, he was about to leave.

Alex had listened patiently without interrupting as he'd explained the whole thing again. Derek and Stiles tried to look surprised, but he suspected that they had overheard some of the conversation he had with Alex. Derek's room couldn't be particularly soundproof; they hadn't talked very loudly.

After getting the printouts from the car, he'd sat down and explained the content for Alex, before he decided to take off. He'd told him to take his time coming to terms with everything, and if he wanted to do anything about it, they could look into it later.

He'd also explained that getting custody of his sister would be practically impossible under the circumstances, but he was a relative and could probably get visitation rights. Alex seemed unable to grasp it all, but with Isaac, Stiles, and Derek around, Mr Stilinski was sure that he'd be taken care of.

Isaac and Stiles seemed relieved about the fact that he'd managed to keep their involvement a secret. Even if he wasn't to keen on lying, it could sometimes be a good thing. This case was one of those instances.

He had no idea how to interpret the invitation from Melissa, but he was very intrigued. They'd known each other for years, but never really spent any time alone together. He worried that they wouldn't have anything to talk about but their sons, and that it could be slightly awkward, but she was definitely refreshing company. He also had to admit that he was a little smitten by her.

When he hung up, he discovered that Stiles was staring at him curiously. His end of the conversation had contained of a few one syllable words, so he was pretty sure that his son had no idea who he was talking to, but that little wink – or maybe it was just a tic – Stiles gave him, made him a little self-conscious.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Stiles didn't feel much different today than he did yesterday. So he had an ability to eavesdrop on his friends and family without sneaking around; he could also practically smell the leftovers from the party through the sealed door of the fridge, but his body felt very much like normal.

He knew it was a big thing for everybody that he got the bite, and he'd expected to be the center of attention for a while. In an odd an twisted way, he'd kind of looked forward to it. The news about Alex' family put a little dent in that. Stiles himself found it extremely interesting, but he was a little disappointed about the fact that Isaac and Alex didn't even ask how he was doing.

Derek also got freakishly absorbed by the tale about Alex' mom, and he did his best to help Isaac comfort the guy. Stiles did agree that this was big, but he'd hoped to get a just a sliver of attention about his own situation.

Playing second chair didn't suit him one bit. 'Why the hell did his dad have to bring the news today?' He knew it was selfish to think like that, but couldn't really help himself.

That Derek didn't seem the slightest concerned with the fact that he wasn't an Alpha anymore, was also troubling.

Stiles knew perfectly well that Allison was better leader-material than Derek, but he wasn't interested in being anybody's bitch. He wanted to be the crown prince; or maybe the term would be queen? Regardless, he wanted to be the mate to the 'King of the castle', and he wanted Derek to be that king.

He walked over to the kitchen to grab himself some food. The other three still didn't pay any attention to him. As he opened the door to the fridge, the dog swooped in in front of him and stuck his head in there. Stiles looked down at the little guy. He was obviously seeking attention too.

He pushed the dog away gently before he closed the fridge and sat down on the floor. Periwinkle's tail wagged vigorously. He put his front paws on Stiles chest before he stretched his neck and licked him on the chin. "Easy there boy." Stiles managed to get the dog onto his lap and scratched his ear. "I guess we can comfort each other." It took a little while before Peri settled down somewhat. "And they called you Periwinkle? Well, get used to it. Your owner is a sort of a nancy." He didn't mean it derogatory; he really liked Alex with his sometimes very flamboyant gestures.

Sitting there patting the dog was very calming. Stiles looked over at the couch. He'd heard a few words from there, but decided to try not to eavesdrop. What Alex had to deal with was big, and Stiles felt bad for only thinking about himself.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Derek drove fast towards the house. When they left last night, they had not managed to clean up the place properly after the party. Isaac and Alex had brought all the leftover back, but there were still a few things that had to be taken care of.

Stiles had been a little moody when he learned that Derek wanted to go there by himself, but had eventually accepted it. It wasn't like Derek didn't want to be around his boyfriend, but he needed time alone to think about the recent events.

The fact that Stiles got the bite was not really such a big deal; maybe for Stiles himself, but for Derek and the rest of the pack, everything would be easier. There wasn't a problem in itself to have a human in the pack, but there were risks involved. Humans were weaker and would always have to be protected in a different way.

Mating with a human carried it's own problems. It wasn't unheard of, but it would always be considered a weak link. Derek could have handled it; he'd handled it for a while already, and he would never have forced Stiles to become a werewolf. What happened last night was really a blessing in disguise.

A bigger issue was Derek's own status. He knew that he could possibly become an Alpha again. It could be a long and hard road, and he wasn't sure if he was up for it. It wasn't easy leading a pack, and he was never really trained for the task. Among other things, it would require him to force Allison out. With her in the pack, Derek wouldn't stand a chance. Being a newly hatched Alpha, she showed unusual skills and abilities to become the perfect leader. Challenging her could cause unwanted results.

Derek didn't know if Allison was aware of all this. He had no clue if she was going to step up and do what was expected of her now, or if she would shy away from the responsibilities involved. Derek didn't think so. Scott would support her unconditionally, and Stiles – being turned by her – would feel the bond, even if he didn't know it yet.

It was a poorly kept secret that Isaac felt that Derek sucked as a pack-leader, so he'd probably accept Allison's takeover easily. Alex' thoughts about it wouldn't even be an issue; he was brand new to this pack, and was also used to having to submit to the strong female Alpha.

Derek knew that it really came down to the dynamic between him and Allison. He was the one who had to make the choice. He'd looked forward to bringing a pack back to the house. He'd wanted a new Hale-pack; a pack that could pick up the old tradition of keeping Beacon Hills safe.

As a hunter, Allison was trained for the same agenda. Her family's main focus had been to keep their hometown protected.

Derek had reached his destination, and parked behind Chris' SUV. He was a little surprised that the hunter was at the site. They'd decided to take the day off, and he wondered what the guy was doing there. Chris had been very open about his take on the pack-leader issue, and Derek wasn't sure he wanted to hear his point of view right now.

With Chris' involvement with the house; it wouldn't have been a house without him, Derek felt that he couldn't just push the guy's opinion aside. He was almost like a member of the pack himself. He braced himself, before he walked over to face the hunter.

He soon discovered that he had nothing to fear. Chris didn't even mention what had happened last night. He just took Derek on a quick tour, pointing out what needed to be done before Dave and his buddies could finish their part of the job. After agreeing on how long it would take, Chris made a call before he left Derek alone with his thoughts.


	73. Chapter 73

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the time after the bite, when Stiles had expected to be the center of attention, everybody else were to busy for him. Alex had to make up his mind about what to do about the information he got from Mr Stilinski. Allison is still not feeling well, and she decides to face Stiles. Melissa plans a lunch. After a small argument with Dave, Derek is taking a couple of days off from the house. Stiles is happy to finally spend time with Derek alone, and he doesn't waste it.

The next week and a half was a little hazy for most of the pack. Derek seemed to take everything in the stride though. He spent most of his days at the house, and the first week, he and Chris had almost worked around the clock to get as much as possible done before Dave and company arrived.

Stiles had tried to be there as much as possible, but he had a job to attend. Anyway, it wasn't so easy to get any alone time with Derek there. It was nice to see the house coming together, so he forgave Derek for being so absent minded. Stiles didn't find it appropriate to complain; Derek was building them a home.

The few hours they did spent alone together at the loft, he got pampered and showered with affection. It was hardly enough though, and there were no time wasted on talking about the bite.

Sex had been awesome, though. Maybe not so inventive – lack of time prevented that – but the heightened senses he'd acquired made the hurried copulations they squeezed in, while Isaac and Alex walked the dog, feel so much more intense.

When he was alone – in the car delivering pizza, or even when he took a leak – all he could think of was what would happen during the full moon. He didn't want to share his worries with just anybody; he wanted to be perceived as strong and bold, but the few lines he did drop about it fell on deaf ears anyway.

Alex had his own ghosts to face, and Isaac did his best to be there for him. Between that, tending for Periwinkle, and helping out a little bit at the house, the two of them didn't really have an time to spare for Stiles.

He'd counted on Scott being more perceptive, but there had been a police raid at a puppy-mill nearby, and Dr Deaton was swamped with assessing some of the near forty dogs they saved. Not all of them were brought into his clinic, but there were still a lot of work. Scott had spent all his free time there helping out to the best of his ability.

Stiles had barely seen Allison during the first week after the bite. She'd come to the house, and had put I some hours of work, but only when Stiles wasn't there. He didn't know if she deliberately avoided him, or if it was just a coincidence.

All in all, things hadn't changed much from before the bite, but with the extra effort put in on the house, Alex' struggles regarding his mother, Scott working overtime at the clinic, and Allison's curious absence, Stiles felt that none of them had much time for him. It was understandable, but it made him feel lonely; even when he hung out with them.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Mr Stilinski had promised to give Alex a little bit of time before he had to do something about the case. He'd told him that sooner or later someone would question the fact that he'd logged in and checked out everything about Sonya, so he'd urged Alex to make up his mind shortly.

It wasn't easy. Alex struggled with his feeling about this. He'd lived with his stepfather for more than ten years. For eight of them, he'd been subject to corporal punishment and straight out abuse from this guy without his mom's interference. It wasn't completely true; she did stop it on a coupe of occasions, but she spent more time urging Alex to be a good boy than to say a word against her husband. Even when Alex ran away and gave her an ultimatum, she'd chose to stay.

When her daughter – Alex' half-sister – got punished and abused the same way, his mom waited no longer than six months before she decided to get rid of the abuser. Not that Alex meant that six months of beatings weren't enough, but he felt a bit betrayed.

Several times, as he sifted through the court papers and the rest of the documents Mr Stilinski had provided, Alex wondered about a few things. Why did she so easily look the other way when Alex got dragged into 'the office' to get spanked until he couldn't sit? Why didn't she put her foot down when the bruises on his body were so severe that he had to skip school for a day or two? Why didn't she just shoot the guy back then?

What was it with this little girl that made her snap, when she had let her son go though all of this without her lifting a finger?

Alex knew they would have been poor without his stepfathers money, but looking back, he felt that his life was better when he lived on the streets. Some nights, he was so cold that he thought he'd freeze to death. He got beat up on a couple of occasions, and he wasn't particularly proud of the things he had to do for money sometimes, but he still felt safer there than he'd ever felt living with his stepfather.

Life had sent him through some twists and turns, and eventually it had led him here. Whatever happened before he met Isaac, hadn't mattered anymore. He was happy. Happier than he'd ever thought it was possible to be.

He knew that the others – and especially Isaac – had felt sorry for him when he shared his stories, but talking about it had actually made him feel better. It was in the past, it was ancient history, and even if it could make him a little emotional at times, he'd thought he was over it.

The worst part of it all was that he felt an unwanted resentment towards the little girl. She was innocent in all this, but his mom had obviously loved his sister more than she'd loved him. She'd killed her father to save her, while Alex got shut out into the cold.

-o-o-o-o-o-

It took about a week before Allison started to feel normal again. General discomfort and lingering nausea had bothered her ever since she gave Stiles the bite. She put in a lot of effort into trying to act normal, and it actually made her feel better.

It wasn't like she consciously tried to avoid Stiles, but she'd discovered that she picked the times to visit the house carefully to make sure she'd only find her dad and Derek there.

Through Scott, she'd learned that Stiles wasn't angry with her, but she knew perfectly well that he never really wanted to become a werewolf. That she actually saved his life did bring her some comfort, but she was plagued with remorse regardless.

Allison was pretty sure that she wasn't really sick; it was just her guilty mind playing tricks on her, but she was unable to push it away completely. Especially in the mornings, just as she woke up, she could feel it. During the day, when she was busy with other things, it was possible to forget about it for a while.

It didn't help much that her dad was nagging her about leading the pack. Luckily, he was gone most of the day, so she didn't have to deal with him too much, but she truly felt that it was none of his business. At the house, in Derek's presence, he never brought it up.

Derek was curiously quiet about it, and he treated her the same way he'd treated her before. He had briefly mentioned that Stiles didn't carry a grudge, and that he'd understood that he would have been dead without her bite.

It wasn't helping much in the long run, and she knew she had to face Stiles sooner or later. She was sure that if she could hear it from his own mouth, she'd feel better.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Breakfast with Mrs McCall had been a nice, but a little awkward. They had decided to meet at the diner next to the hospital. Their conversation, that had ran so unrestrained and easy during the party, was a tad more clumsy in the morning.

Melissa had already found a booth when Mr Stilinski arrived shortly after the call. After greeting each other, they had spent an unusually long time with the menus. The diner didn't have a very broad selection; reading the whole menu was totally unnecessary, but he couldn't come up with anything to say, so he practically hid behind it.

The waitress saved them from total embarrassment when she came over and asked if they wanted coffee while they decided. When they answered with a hurried and unison 'Yes please!' They looked at each other and chuckled.

The ice didn't break completely, but they managed to exchange a few words about what to eat. It took another five minutes – the waitress brought the coffee and took their orders – before another word was uttered between them.

They talked a little about the party, and agreed that Alex and Derek had done a good job with it. The progress on the house got a little bit of attention, but they avoided mentioning anything about their own kids moving in.

As soon as the food was on the table, the conversation came to a complete halt again. It was okay; talking with your mouth full is not particularly polite anyway. While soaking up some yolk with a piece of toast, Mr Stilinski briefly mentioned Alex' cooking skills, and Melissa looked up and nodded vigorously. She swallowed the piece of pancake she had in her mouth before she happily raved about the food they'd been served the night before.

When they were done, and after the waitress had cleared the table, Mr Stilinski wondered what to do about the check. It wasn't like a date, so he thought that maybe they were supposed to split it. He didn't feel that it was right to ask, so he decided to be a gentleman. He waved the waitress over and gave her his credit card. When Melissa tried to protest he shushed her – he actually shushed her.

It was an extremely awkward moment, and he closed his eyes for a second in pure embarrassment. When he looked up again, he could see that Melissa seemed slightly amused, and he managed to give her a smile. "Next is on you, okay?"

They left shortly after and walked over to their separate cars. Melissa opened the car door before she paused and turned around. "Next time?" She shrugged and threw a peek at the diner. "Next time will be somewhere else, don't you agree?"

He agreed so much that he actually wanted to shout it out. Instead, he just nodded and smiled. "Your treat. Your choice."

That was a week ago, and he hadn't even seen her since. It was quite unusual. They normally bumped into each other ever so often. Not that he worried that much, but he did think about it.

The text came as he parked the car outside the police station. "Lunch Tuesday? Melissa."

-o-o-o-o-o-

When the professionals arrived on Sunday evening, they took a quick tour around inside the house with Derek and Chris before they set up camp. Mouth managed to squeeze the RV in between the house and the treeline without knocking over the outdoor stove, which was quite amazing.

After an assessment of the equipment and the fixtures, Dave provided Chris with a list of what else they would need to get the job done. When Derek offered to take care of it, Dave had frowned at him. "You wouldn't know what to look for. Just cough up the money. I'll go with Mr Argent to get it."

Derek knew that the guy had a point, but he could feel the claws come out regardless. They were doing him – or technically Chris – a big favor, but they didn't have to be rude. He managed to calm down, but Chris had obviously noticed that he'd been about to turn. The hunter grabbed his arm and dragged him into the house.

"I know." He was whispering. "Bedside manners have really never been Dave's forte, but bear with it, please." He let go of Derek and gave him a lopsided smile. "If you want to stay away for a few days, it's okay."

Derek didn't know if he wanted that; it was after all his house, but he could easily see Chris' point. "There's still a few things..." He didn't get to finish. Chris patted his back. "Don't worry about it. I can handle it. Allison and Scott can help. Maybe even Isaac and Alex." He rolled his eyes when he mentioned their names. Everybody knew that the two boys were practically all thumbs when it came to this.

"It doesn't feel right." Derek shook his head. "I mean, I should be here. I can't leave this to you. You have done so much already." He got a little surprised when Chris started laughing. "If you had any idea about how much I've enjoyed this, you would have charged me." He was still chuckling a little. "It's been a lot of work. I've put in an insanely amount of hours here, but..." He instantly became serious. "...I'm doing it for my little girl."

Derek closed his eyes and bowed his head. He knew exactly what the hunter was hinting to. Ever since she got turned, he'd wanted Allison to join Derek's pack. Everybody knew it would be safer for her in a pack. His reasoning for helping out had been to make sure that his daughter was taken care of properly. Living in this house would make her – and Scott – natural members. Obviously, there could be some hitches, but if she agreed to move in, it would have been set.

After she required the Alpha-status, Chris had ventured out on another agenda. He wanted his daughter to take over. At the moment, he had got his will; technically Allison was the leader, but nobody knew if she wanted it.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Stiles looked up at the moon. It was partially hidden behind clouds, but he knew exactly what phase it was in. He wondered what would happen when it was full. The lack of interest from the others on his 'condition' was disturbing, but he knew that it wasn't done on purpose. Last week had been crazy for everybody involved, but he'd expected Derek to at least give him some insight.

Every time he'd tried to bring it up, Derek had told him not to worry about it. The few hours he'd had with his boyfriend – his mate, he could actually feel it now – during the week had been glorious, but somewhat tainted with everything else that went on.

He remembered vividly what had happened with Scott after the bite. His friend had been almost totally out of control. Without any knowledge about what was going on with him, it was understandable. Stiles didn't feel out of control. He wasn't even as hyper as usual, and he attributed that to the fact that he was a werewolf. The ADHD was gone; he was, uh, normal.

That he was completely aware of what the bite entailed, was probably one of the reasons for his calmness, but the full moon was still a concern. He had no desire to be chained up, and frankly, he didn't think they had to. With five other werwolves around, they could keep an eye on him and prevent him form doing anything stupid.

That the others didn't seem even a tad concerned was comforting, although he would have wanted a little bit more attention.

He drew his breath heavily and leaned back on the couch. He didn't like being alone, but he knew it wasn't for long. Derek was at the house, and would be back shortly; Isaac and Alex were walking the dog and had been gone for way longer than necessary. Stiles decided to not worry about anything at the moment, and turned on the TV. He caught the tail-end of an old 'Supernatural' episode.

Stiles remembered that episode. The werewolf girl begged them to kill her because she claimed she was a monster. He hurried to change the channel.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Alex had made up his mind. While they were out walking the dog, he had for the first time in ages used the phone that Eric had given him. He knew it was kind of late in the evening, but Mr Stilinski answered immediately.

"I want to talk with her." He didn't bother to elaborate. He knew that Stiles' dad would understand what he was talking about. Isaac was waiting by the door to the loft. Alex knew he supported his decision.

"Okay. I can try to arrange that." Mr Stilinski sounded very formal. "I don't know if she's allowed visitors, but remember! As soon as your name is brought into the case, you could be a called as a witness in her defense."

Alex stopped and thought about it before he replied. "Do it! Sooner or later they'll find me. I want to go to school, and..." He didn't have to finish. Mr Stilinski broke him off. "You're right. If you want to stay hidden, it's possible," he paused for a second, " But if you want to live a normal life... you're right."

He had to take a moment. He'd been under the radar for so long that it seemed kind of scary to emerge now, but he knew it was better this way. He had a family now, and he had Mr. Stilinski. "My sister... I don't know her... she..." Tears welled up in his eyes and he rushed over to Isaac and pushed his face into his chest.

It took almost a minute before he managed to compose himself. "Part of me wants to see her, but I... I didn't know about her existence until you told me."

Alex could hear that Mr Stilinski cleared his throat. "Alex, listen. If I can manage to arrange a meeting with your mom, you can deal with that first. Meeting your sister is a totally different issue." He sighed. "Take one step at the time."

There was another extended period of silence on the line before Stiles' dad spoke. "Alex? You're still there, right?" When Alex gave him a weak 'yes' he continued. "It can take hours, it can take days, or maybe even weeks. Relax and wait for my call. You have made the right decision, trust me on that."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

The mood in the loft had changed significantly. Alex was almost back to his old, bouncing self after he'd made the decision about his mom. Derek didn't seem half as stressed and exhausted as he'd been lately. He mentioned briefly that he had issues with the crew Chris had provided, and the hunter had practically forced him to take a couple of days off.

When Chris called and asked if Alex could come and cook lunch for them, Isaac decided to tag along and also bring Periwinkle. For Stiles, it was like a gift. He didn't have to go to work until five and got to spend time alone with Derek in the middle of the day.

He didn't want to waste it. As soon as Isaac and Alex was out the door, he practically ran over to the couch where Derek was sitting. "Okay, stranger. Let's get down and dirty." He tried on a growl, but it sounded a bit theatrical. He could see that Derek was fighting not to laugh. "Honey, you're not there yet. The transformation has to be complete, and you have to find your anchor before you can turn on will."

Derek bent his head down and drew his breath deeply. "This is how it's done." He lifted his head again and snarled before he opened his mouth fully and bared his fangs. The roar that came out of Derek's mouth made the glasses in the cupboard rattle and it almost caused Stiles to fall off the couch.

As the roar turned into a low pitch howl, Derek lifted Stiles up and flung him over his shoulder. Stiles tried to come loose; not because he was scared or anything, but he was totally taken by surprise by his boyfriend's behavior.

He got carried through the room kicking and squirming, but Derek didn't let go. Derek pushed the door to the bedroom open before he practically threw Stiles on the bed. "If you're gonna play with the big bad wolf, you have to be ready for some pain, baby."

Even if he was unable to wolf out, Stiles knew that he had more strength and agility than before the bite. He tried to roll off the bed on the other side, but Derek was faster; and quite a bit stronger. "Trying to get away will only make it worse." He managed to pin down Stiles with one hand as he with the other grabbed on to the collar of Stiles' T-shirt.

Slowly dragging his hand down Stiles' body, his claws ripped the shirt, and then the pajama pants into shreds. "Oh, please! I won't have any clothes left if you keep doing that." Stiles could hear that his own voice was trembling. Maybe he was a little scared.

The evil chuckle Derek emitted wasn't very calming, and Stiles wondered if Derek had lost his grip on reality for a moment. He'd never really wolfed out in bed before. Okay, so there had been a little claw and fang action in the past – Stiles had sported multiple scars from it over the month they'd been together – but this was new.

"Derek! DEREK! Snap out of it, you're scaring me." He lied still on his back with Derek hovering over him. His boyfriend cocked his head and gave him a sinister smile. "Really? Didn't think you scared that easily." He leaned in and kissed him violently. Stiles could feel the taste of blood in his mouth when his lip got ripped by Derek's teeth.

Stiles was about to kick Derek in the nuts when he could feel the fangs disappear and the kiss turned softer. Derek pulled back for a second. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." He brushed his lips over Stiles' cheek. "I... it was supposed to just..."

With a sigh, he lifted himself up and stared into Stiles' eyes. "You like it rough, don't you?" He let his fingers – now without claws – run down Stiles' almost naked torso. "You still want to get down and dirty, or...?"

Okay, so he didn't have fangs and claws, but Stiles had his pride and anger. He wrapped his arms around Derek and dug the sorry excuse for nails that he had as deep as he could into the flesh of his boyfriend's back, before he lifted his head and bit Derek's shoulder so hard that the skin broke.

Derek hitched his breath and tried to push him away, but Stiles held on. When blood started running from the wound on his shoulder he peeked at it before he rolled his eyes. "Okay, okay. I get it. I pissed you off. Can we get to the point please, this is very arousing."


	74. Chapter 74

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Melissa McCall plans a lunch date with Mr Stilinski, and is involving Alex in the preparation. Stiles and Derek assess the damage after their wild night. Allison's strange illness becomes an issue. Chris doesn't really know anything about it, but he senses that something isn't right. The conclusion is startling to everybody. Alex is especially concerned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I need a first name for Mr Stilinski. Please give me suggestions.

Melissa didn't know if it could be considered as a date. Not that it mattered so much for herself, but she wondered if Mr Stilinski would see it as such.

To make sure it wouldn't be as awkward as the breakfast they had together the other day, she decided on a picnic in the park. There would be lots of people around them. The play area was always crawling with kids and now – during the summer – the basketball hoop was constantly in use by a bunch of teenagers. She wanted to make sure that they could have something to talk about, and the park would provide that.

She'd often taken her lunch there alone when she needed a bit of fresh air in the middle of a shift. It was never boring; there were always something to look at, and occasionally, someone to laugh at. Melissa knew that if the conversation halted, they would have things to rest their gaze on. It could be a little boy flying a way too big kite, or an old lady feeding the birds.

She was working the night-shift on Tuesday, so when the lunch was over she had to start getting ready for work. It was a safety net in case this proved to be more uncomfortable than she expected it to be. She'd planned to make the food in the morning, just before she left to meet him. That plan got washed down the drain when she remembered the meeting she had to attend.

She could of course buy everything prepacked at the deli, but it didn't sit well with her. She had wanted to at least try to make an effort.

The idea came to her as she got ready for work on Monday. She could get somebody else to make the food. She didn't know how to get a hold of Alex, so she called Scott. He didn't know if Alex even had a phone, but provided her with the second best; Isaac's number. When she eventually had Alex on the line, she asked him straight out. She wasn't sure how to word it, but tried to make him believe that it was work related. She didn't really lie, but she didn't want him to get any ideas.

He sounded thrilled, and immediately he started suggesting a menu. Melissa had to cut him off, telling him that he could concoct it from his own head. After a little back and forth, they agreed that he'd come by the hospital to get some money to buy what he needed.

-o-o-o-o-o-

The room looked like there had been a bloodbath, and it wasn't too far from the truth. Stiles' ripped clothes were bunched up at the foot of the bed, practically soaked in it. They were lying on their backs, holding hands. "You got to be kidding me." Stiles pointed to the ceiling, where droplets of blood were forming a crocked line. "This went a little out of hand."

Derek scooted over and flung his legs over the side of the bed. The linens, that had been cream colored this morning, had a psychedelic pattern of red streaks and spots. Some of them were quite big. The worst part was that the mattress was probably ruined.

The bite-mark on Derek's shoulder was still throbbing a little, but it was getting better. He was amazed about how long it lasted, considering Stiles' lack of fangs. Derek threw a peek at his boyfriend. Stiles wounds were healing nicely, but his body was practically covered in blood.

"I think we need to clean up." He got out of bed and panned the room. "Not only ourselves. I think we need to redecorate." Stiles chuckled a little and followed his gaze. "Didn't we just do that?" He nodded towards some bloodstains on the wall. "Not a very good paint-job, but..."

They looked at each other and sighed in unison. Stiles was right. This had definitely gotten totally out of hand. "We can't, eh. This was not a good idea." Derek shook his head and walked over to the closet to find some clean clothes. He knew that he had been about to wolf out completely on a couple of occasions, and he didn't like losing control. Even with their healing-abilities, this could have been dangerous.

Stiles nodded in agreement. "I know. It was like... I don't know. You scared me a little." He moved to get out of bed too. "I scared myself a little. I'm not sure I was fully alert at all times." Derek knew. He'd seen the faint flash in Stiles' eyes. The weak orange glow deep in there told him that Stiles had been close to transforming.

"Don't get me wrong. It was very arousing and exciting, but I think..." Stiles shrugged. "It was a little too disorganized, you know." Derek couldn't agree more. Inflicting pain could be quite arousing. Being on the receiving end was also a thrill, but this time there was no system to it.

"I guess we had a lot of frustrations piled up in our minds." Derek cocked his head and stared at his boyfriend for a moment. "I've been too busy at the house to take care of you properly after the bite, and I've also done my best to ignore the fact that my status has changed."

Stiles looked up and squinted. "So it does bother you? I got the impression that you didn't really care." Derek didn't reply. He walked over to the door and put his hand on the knob. "Everything will be fine. You know that, right?"

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Alex got up early the next morning, and fed Periwinkle before he took him out for a quick walk. He had a job to do and wanted to get started as soon as possible. When he came inside, he dumped the dog on the bed next to a half sleeping Isaac.

"Hey! What's going on." Isaac startled when Peri's snout touched his cheek. "Didn't we agree on not letting him on the bed?" Alex scoffed. "Yeah right! I'm not the one who picks him up when he whines a little in the middle of the night." He gave Isaac a quick kiss on the forehead. "Deal with it, I have work to do."

When Mrs McCall asked if he could make a picnic lunch for her, Alex had been overly excited. It was almost like a real job; she'd even promised to pay him. He and Isaac had gone to the hospital last evening to pick up some money from her before he went and got everything he needed for this luncheon. She had been kind of vague about how many people it was supposed to feed, so he had to guess. 'Less than a handful' could mean anything, but he decided to make enough for four, just in case. He had two dollars and some change left after the purchase.

He'd promised to cook for the workers at the house, and decided on hamburgers for them. It was easy and wouldn't take much time to prepare. The dough for the buns was done in a jiffy, and would need an hour to rise. After making the patties, he cut some vegetables and stuffed it all in the fridge for later. At the house, he already had some condiments and other things that didn't need refrigeration.

Working in the kitchen took his mind of everything else. Twisting his hand while he was waiting for a call from Mr Stilinski was not an option. He knew it could take time, so he pushed it aside and decided to not worry too much about it. The thought was there but he couldn't let it cripple him.

He'd learned that the hard way living on the streets. Every day was a new struggle, and sometimes he didn't know if he was going to eat that day. He had to get up in the morning and make an effort regardless, even if it could be tough at times. His philosophy had always been to hope for the best, but prepare for the worst. Six years out there had made him a pro, and the really bad days became scarce.

That was until he, at the tail-end of his street-life, got hooked on heroin. After that, most days were bad, but he was too oblivious to even know.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Chris was taking a break from the work, and took a round inside the house. Dave was well on his way to be done in the kitchen. The outlets for the appliances were installed; the light-switches only needed covers, and at the moment he was tightening the screws on the ceiling fan. He couldn't do much more in there until all the cabinets were installed and the plumbing was done.

Mouth was working on the downstairs bathroom, while Dave's brother, Carl – or the monkey man that Derek liked to call him behind his back – was tiling the bathrooms on the second floor.

Allison was suppose to come and work on her own room. While waiting, Chris had been busy with the baseboards in the living room. It was practically finished except for that. Alex would bring food around noon, and after lunch, he and Isaac were supposed to paint upstairs. Chris was actually quite amazed about the painting they had done so far. With their less than adequate skills in building, they had really showed to be extremely thorough and fast with the paintbrushes and rollers.

Chris looked at his watch. It was still a couple of hours till lunch, but he'd expected Allison to show up already. He didn't want to call, and they hadn't really set a time, but he was eager to start working on her room. She had specific ideas and wanted to do as much as possible herself.

He'd barely talked with his daughter the last week, and hadn't got a chance to really find out how she was doing. She'd spent most nights with Scott, and at the Hale-house, he'd never managed to catch her alone. She seemed okay, but he could feel that something was bothering her. When he tried to address it, she'd just brushed him off and told him that she was fine.

There was no doubt about the fact that she'd done her best to avoid Stiles. Maybe not so consciously, but nonetheless, she'd never showed up when he was there. Chris suspected that she felt remorse for turning him, and that that was the reason she seemed a little out of it.

There were only one solution to this. Allison and Stiles needed to talk. Chris wanted to explain this to his daughter in private, but she'd so far managed to shut him out.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Allison had promised her dad that she'd be there sometime before noon, but when she woke up, she felt so bad that she decided that she had to face Stiles sooner rather than later. Yesterday morning she'd thought it was over. Scott had made her breakfast in bed, and while they ate they'd watched silly YouTube videos until he had to leave for work.

When she eventually got out of bed she felt fine, and had managed to put in several hours of work at the house that day.

She knew that her dad had noticed the spring in her step, and he hadn't nagged her about how she was doing. Allison knew that he was concerned, but she was pretty sure that he also knew why she'd been a little under the weather lately.

This morning it was back full force. When the nausea hit her, she could see Stiles' face in front of her. The image of his pale skin covered in blood as she bent down to bite his arm, was haunting her.

She pulled up outside the loft and braced herself. Both Scott and Derek had told her that Stiles was doing fine, and that he didn't hold a grudge against her. It was still kind of scary to have to face him. That he had accepted the inevitable was one thing, but would he accept her as his Alpha? She ascended the stairs, trying to stay calm. She'd never wanted this, but with Derek out of commission, there was only one outcome. She really, truly hoped that Stiles was aware of that. Not so much because she was the one who turned him; but she'd taken Derek's spot as the leader of the pack.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Stiles could hear her; he could even smell her before she was at the door. Allison had done her best to avoid him lately, but now she was here. He didn't know how to deal with it. In a weird and twisted way, he felt bonded to her. He knew exactly why, but he wasn't sure if he liked it.

He'd easily accepted that she had to give him the bite; being dead didn't seem very exciting. Derek had explained why he couldn't do it, so that Allison stepped up was okay with him. That all this meant that she was the leader of the pack wasn't as easy to come to terms with.

He liked her; one could even say that he loved her, but his conscious mind still wanted Derek to be the king of the castle.

Periwinkle ran across the room when she opened the door, but she ignored him completely. When the dog realized that he wouldn't get petted by this newcomer, he whined a little before Alex called for him.

"I'm sorry Stiles. I'm so so sorry." It was the first words out of her mouth as she entered. She held her hands up in front of her and she squinted a little, as if she expected and attack. Stiles shook his head before he looked up at her. "Don't worry. Didn't they tell you that you are forgiven?"

Allison lowered her arms, but didn't meet his eyes. "They did, but I needed to hear it from you." She sighed heavily and peeked at him hurriedly. "I thought that seeing you, and getting a confirmation that you were alright would make me feel better."

Alex and Isaac were in the kitchen, packing the food hey were going to bring to the workers at the house. They seemed like deers trapped in the headlights. They clearly didn't want to be there for this. Alex picked the cooler up and moved towards the door. He gestured for Isaac to follow him. "Get the beer, Isaac." And then, turned to Derek. "We're just going to bring this to the car."

When Peri got up and followed them, Isaac grabbed the leash and snapped it on before the three of them disappeared.

Derek straightened himself up a bit. He was sitting next to Stiles on the couch. "He may not embrace it so much yet, but he knows that you saved his life." He nodded towards the kitchen. "Can I get you something? Coffee, tea, a cognac?" Derek chuckled a little as he got up from the couch. "You look like shit, sister."

Stiles could see a faint frown on Allison's face, but it faded quickly. She came over and slumped down on the recliner. "I've been physically ill since that day, so thank you for reminding me... brother." There was a dribble of sarcasm in her voice, but that too was gone when she continued. "I thought, maybe... eh, hearing it from you, that you..." She finally managed to meet Stiles' eyes. "If I could apologize and get forgiveness, I wouldn't feel sick and nauseous anymore."

As soon as she'd said the words, Derek flipped around and stared at her. "Sick? You feel really sick? Giving someone the bite shouldn't do that. It should make you feel more powerful." He came back and leaned over to look at her more closely. "I thought you just felt generally bad for having to do it. It shouldn't have made you physically sick. You can't get sick. You're a werewolf."

Allison seemed a little confused. She looked at Stiles briefly before she turned to Derek again. "I'm sure it's just a reaction. My body wanted to tell me that I needed to apologize in person." The smile on her lips was loaded with uncertainty. Derek moved away from her, but he didn't avert his gaze.

"That doesn't sound like anything I've heard of. Could you have been poisoned?" Derek cocked his head. Both Stiles and Allison scooted forward in their seats as they looked up at him. "Poison? How can I have been poisoned? I've eaten the same food as you and you're fine." Allison sounded a bit scared, but she was clearly not ready to buy that explanation easily.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

After hanging by the car for forever, Alex knew he had to get upstairs soon to finish the little catering job he promised to do for Mrs McCall. He'd hope that Allison would get out soon – an apology shouldn't take that long – but he couldn't possibly wait any longer.

He and Isaac had been a little curious, but had both worried that the pack-leading business would come up, and none of them wanted part of that. They had decided on following the strongest Alpha regardless, and feared that they could be put on the spot and asked.

Derek was a very laid-back leader, and it was very comfortable to be in his pack, but he wasn't really trained for the task. Allison would probably be stricter, but she was definitely better in dealing with crises.

Alex looked at his phone. He didn't have much time so he turned to Isaac. "Take the food to the site and fire up the grill. I'll be there shortly." He knew that Melissa would come around noon, and by then the grill would be ready. "I have to go upstairs. I have a job to do."

They parted with a kiss; Isaac took Peri with him, and Alex braced himself before he ascended the stairs to the loft.

The conversation he overheard as he entered didn't make him feel any better. Derek, Stiles, and Allison were talking about poisoned food. He practically snuck over to the kitchen and grabbed the picnic basket he'd found in the cupboard.

"If it didn't come from the food, where could it come from?" Stiles had raised his voice and Alex could see that he threw a peek at the kitchen area. With his back turned to them he kept working, but he could help listening eagerly.

He soon understood what was going on, and it was not comforting. If Allison was poisoned, it was very disturbing news. He knew he could be a suspect, but he hoped that they would know that he couldn't possibly poison one and not the others.

The conversation stopped abruptly when Melissa cleared her throat. "I'm sorry, I knocked, but..." She was standing right inside the door, and had obviously heard what they were talking about. She looked at Allison curiously. Derek got up and walked over to her. "I'm so sorry. I guess you're here to pick up your food." He gave her a quick hug and followed her to the kitchen.

Alex was done packing the basket, and lifted it off the counter. "It's heavy, I'll carry it down for you." He didn't want to be there. Melissa didn't look at him, but she nodded. "Oh, thanks." Then she turned and walked straight over to Allison. "Poison? Are you serious?"

Allison shrugged and threw her hands out. "I don't know." She gave Melissa a quick recap before she shrugged again. "Please don't tell my dad, he's going to want to hurt someone." Melissa grabbed her hands and stared into her eyes. "But you don't know what it is, right? Why don't you come to the hospital tonight. I can draw some blood and try to find out what it could be. Nobody else needs to know."

Alex could see that Allison nodded vaguely as she looked down. Melissa squeezed Allison's hands quickly before she let go and walked towards the door. "See you later then, come on Alex, I'm in a hurry."

Down by the car, Melissa grabbed the basket and put it in the front seat. Alex tried to give her the leftover money, but she pushed his hand away. "Keep it." She opened her purse and dug out a twenty. "I don't know how much I owe you." She kept peeking up at the window high above them. Alex was pretty sure she was thinking about what Allison had just told her. She shoved the money into his hand. "Is it enough?"

He looked at the bill and nodded. The joy he felt for earning his first pay for a decent job, was a little tainted by his concern for Allison, and the fact that they could even think that his food was poisoned. "Oh, thank you Mrs McCall. This is..." He hurried to wipe his eyes. Melissa smiled at him, but it didn't really reach her eyes. "You deserve it. Thank you so much."


	75. Chapter 75

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Allison is thinking about what is going on inside her, and decides that she needs to tell somebody. It's not going to be Scott's mom. Melissa and Mr Stilinski's 'date' goes down the drain. Stiles thinks about what will happen when the moon is full, and he believes that he can handle the transition without restraints. He also discovers that his wishes for the future includes something that he barely dares to wish for. Derek and Isaac have a surprise for Alex and Periwinkle. Allison takes Derek on a little ride, and they have a long and serious conversation about the future of the pack.

What is life? A string of more or less memorable moments interrupted by an occasional decent into oblivion. We want it all to be exciting and unforgettable, but looking back, you realize that the moments you cherish the most are those quiet times when you are with your loved ones sharing a meal or a laugh, and sometimes a good cry. The memories of great adventures and thrilling excitement are just like the drizzle of herbs on your spaghetti dish. It looks good, tastes good, but it can't still the hunger. They add some flavor, and lift a otherwise boring meal into an excellent dish, but they are not crucial for our survival.

Allison lied in bed staring into the ceiling. She was beginning to realize that everything that had happened lately were just small drops in an ocean of trivialities. What she was facing at the moment meant so much more, and was so life-changing that a weaker person could possibly cave under the burden. The past was the past, and the future held something that she'd never even thought about before.

Okay, so she had thought about it, but not as something that would happen in the foreseeable future. She didn't go to the hospital last night. It wasn't necessary. The look on Mrs McCall's face when she held her hand in Derek's living room was an eyeopener. Allison knew exactly what kind of 'poison' that ran through her veins.

She felt extremely stupid for not realizing this earlier. If she'd done that, she would never have shared her concerns with anybody. She knew she had to do some damage control to make sure that they didn't pursue this any further.

She'd halfway expected a call from Melissa, but so far it hadn't happened. Scott had briefly asked how she was doing, and had easily accepted it when she told him that she was fine. Derek and the others had obviously not told him about the conversation at the loft. He was luckily too busy at the clinic to actually have time to spend with her at the moment.

Her dad didn't even know about the problems she'd had. She wanted to keep it that way, but worried that sooner or later Derek – or one of the others – would feel a need to air their concerns and blurt it out accidentally.

She knew that she needed to talk to Derek. The pack-leading-trivialities would definitely get second chair to this. The two of them had had issues in the past, and they hadn't exactly been best friends, but recent events had changed that. At the moment, she felt that he was the only one she could trust with this. He was the only one who could possibly give her sane advice.

Melissa could probably do that too, but Allison really didn't want to face her at the moment. She prided herself in being bold and fearless for the most part, but meeting Scott's mom right now terrified her.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

If the breakfast they'd shared had been awkward, the lunch yesterday had topped that big time. Her master-plan had failed completely. It was not Mr Stilinski's fault, and she could definitely not blame the food. The location had not been the problem either. Being in the park had actually saved her from total embarrassment.

Melissa had been unable to participate much in any conversation the man had tried to engage her in. Her mind had constantly wandered off. She was thinking about Allison's delicate little problem. If she was right – she was pretty sure she was – this would not go away any time soon.

During the lunch, she'd pondered on sharing her worries with Mr Stilinski. Partly because she felt a need to talk to another adult about it, but also to try to save this sorry excuse for a date. After almost an hour, she knew that an attempt to salvage it was futile. Mr Stilinski had done his best. He'd told her about Alex' mom, and she'd tried to seem interested. It was a sad and disturbing story, but she'd only managed to throw in a few words here and there.

Packing up the leftovers – it was a lot – she'd apologized to him for her absentmindedness. She'd given him a lame excuse about a problem at work. She knew he didn't believe her, but he was a gentleman and didn't question it.

She didn't know what she felt about him, but he was handsome and funny, and she really liked to spend time with him. Getting to know him without their kids around had been nice, and she'd been open to see where this was going. Now, she'd probably ruined that, and it was kind of sad.

They parted with a quick hug, but with no plans for another meeting.

She'd expected Allison to come by the hospital later, but that had not happened. Melissa didn't want to call her, but knew she needed to talk with the girl soon. For once, she'd actually hoped that Allison would spend the night at their house, but when she got home from work, Scott was alone in his room.

-o-o-o-o-o-

There was still a couple of days left till the full moon. Stiles had felt an itch in his gums and a pressure under the fingernails for a while already. He knew that excitement and anger could force he wolf out ahead of time, but there hadn't really been much of it lately. When he reached a climax during sex, he could feel even more, but Derek had done his best to talk him down gingerly.

When Derek, or Scott, or anybody else for that matter, hadn't said anything about how to deal with the upcoming event, Stiles was not going to remind them. He felt almost completely in control of himself; he was not even close to having the struggles Scott had been going through before his first full moon.

Stiles was sure that Derek would know what to do, and that he would be able to subdue him without the chains and the cuffs. It wasn't like he was going to attack anybody. The others were way stronger than him, so it would probably be okay.

They had been at the house and put in some hours, and as long as Derek and Dave didn't work in any close proximity of one another, it all went fine. Derek had basically stayed outside, trying to finish the outside paneling, while Dave, for the most part, had kept his ass inside.

Alex and Isaac had been painting; Chris and Allison worked on her and Scott's room, while Stiles helped out wherever he was needed. Scott had also chipped in, mostly acting as Mouth's handyman.

The 'investigation' into Allison's problems had fallen apart. She'd explained to Derek that it was probably just a stomach flu. Stiles remembered what Derek had said about werewolves getting sick, and he did question it. "I guess it's rare, but you know..." Derek's reply had been suspicious, but Allison had looked fine for the last couple of days, so it wasn't really an issue anymore.

Stiles had been quite curious when Derek left to take a ride with Allison the other night, but he hadn't asked so much about it. He was pretty sure it had to do with the leadership of the pack, and he just had to hope that the two of them would come to an agreement that suited everybody.

It wasn't like him to let things just slide by like this. The old Stiles would have done his own research and pursued it till the end. He realized that he'd been extremely self-adsorbed lately. He didn't really blame himself; the bite would change his life significantly, but he was still Stiles.

The feeling of loneliness hadn't left him, but it was easier to handle now. His body and mind were adjusting to this new reality, and he could feel that he was slowly getting himself back. That Scott was too busy to come by was a problem. Stiles really missed his friend, but he knew that Scott's reasons were legitimate. The clinic was packed at the moment.

Being a werewolf wasn't so different from being a human. He could do the same things; he could hang with his friends and have fun the same way as before. As a bonus, he also knew that the others would look at him as a real pack-member. They had all accepted him earlier, but now he was one of them for real.

When he found Alex' ring on the counter that morning, it occurred to him that he hadn't even congratulated Isaac and Alex properly after what could be perceived as an engagement. He'd almost forgotten what happened during the last few hours of the party. He'd been quite drunk, and with the head trauma he suffered when Troy threw him towards that tree, the end of that evening was a little blurry.

He looked at the ring again. Alex had obviously taken it off while he was cooking and forgot to put it back on. Stiles suddenly remembered how he'd felt when he saw the two of them cuddled up together by the fire. For the first time since he and Derek got together, Stiles had realized that he wanted that. He wanted a real commitment; not only a vague promise and a knowledge that Derek was in it for the long haul.

He knew that Derek didn't fully trust that their relationship would last a lifetime; humans didn't necessarily mate for life, but werewolves did. That shouldn't be an issue anymore. Stiles had felt the bond strengthen over these almost two weeks. What Derek and he shared was now solid and unbreakable; a commitment stronger than any ring or legal documents could provide.

Maybe he was old fashioned, maybe he was a hopeless romantic; it didn't matter. Regardless of this invisible bond, Stiles wanted more. He wanted proposal and confetti. He wanted to celebrate their bond one way or another.

He could of course just ask. He could take matters into his own hands and pop the question himself, but it didn't sit well with him. He was a little afraid that Derek would blow him off and repeat that they were together for life regardless, but the main reason for his hesitance was that he wanted Derek to initiate this.

"You're such a girl!" He uttered loudly to himself, but felt instantly that it was kind of sexist to even think like that. Traditionally, it was the man who asked, but in this modern society it shouldn't matter. If they were two men, it should definitely not matter.

Even so; Stiles wanted pomp and circumstance, he wanted sappy promises, and he wanted Derek to step up to the plate. Thinking about the future, he could actually see himself staring into Derek's eyes uttering the magic words: 'I do'.

Maybe not next week; not even this year, but sometime in the foreseeable future, he wanted the celebration that came with the commitment he and Derek shared.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Isaac was very excited when Alex came back to the house with lunch for them all. He and Derek had pulled the almost finished doghouse from the backyard as surprise for him. It didn't go as planned. Alex didn't seem the least bit happy about it.

"A doghouse? So what you're saying is that Peri has to sleep outside?" Alex stared at Derek angrily. "I'm not sure I want to move in here." He sat down on the porch and nuzzled his face into the dogs fur. "Poor thing. Uncle Derek is being mean."

Derek rolled his eyes. "That's not what this means. I thought you'd be happy." He came over and bent down to pat Periwinkle. "It was meant as a nice gesture. A little shelter for when he is outside." Alex looked up at him. "Oh, so it's not..? You didn't mean..?"

Isaac had to laugh, earning a small frown from Alex. "Exactly! We...uh, well I didn't do too much, but this is just... Derek doesn't want Peri to actually live in it."

Alex looked at the doghouse again. "So what you're saying is that... Uh, it's just a shelter?" He slowly turned his head and threw a peek at Derek. Derek nodded. "It was just a fun thing to do. Look at it."

Again Alex turned his gaze towards the tiny building. Isaac could see that his mate's eyes lit up as he assessed it. "Oh, it's so cute. I'm sorry. It's very nice. I'm so sorry that I... It's beautiful."

Beautiful was probably not the right word to use. The little house was not particularly pretty, but from a distance, it had it's charm.

The last couple of days, whenever Alex was at the loft to cook for them, Isaac and Derek had used the scrap material to construct a small replica of the Hale-house. The scale wasn't particularly accurate, and the windows were only painted on, but with a bit of imagination, it was possible to see the resemblance.

It was Isaac's idea, but Derek had done most of the work. As soon as the outside paneling was done, he had to have something to occupy himself with outside the house. It was a well known fact the he and Dave didn't get along very well.

Derek had eagerly embraced the task because he wanted to be there and oversee the progress without having to go inside. The work had been kind of sloppy, but Isaac prided himself with the meticulous paintwork that made it come out pretty good.

The little doghouse wasn't completely waterproof when they decided to drag it out from the backyard to show Alex, but Derek had promised to fix the roof as soon as possible.

Alex walked over and sat the dog down in front of it. Peri stuck his nose inside, but didn't enter. He paced a little back and forth in front of it sniffing it before he lifted his leg and peed on the corner of it. "I guess he'd claiming it." Alex chuckled and tried to guide the dog towards the entrance again.

It took a while before Periwinkle actually went inside. They could see him walk around in there. When his head appeared in the opening again he emitted a small yap, before he just slumped down with half his body on the outside.

"I'm sorry guys. I didn't mean to be so unappreciative." Alex came over to Isaac and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "I think he likes it." He looked at Derek before he darted over and hugged him. "Sorry, Derek. I like it. Periwinkle likes it. It's all good, right?"

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

When Allison called the morning after she'd been there and asked if he wanted to take a ride with her, Derek had been sure that she wanted to talk about the pack. He'd made an effort to make everybody believe that he was fine with the current situation, and that the ball was in Allison's corner now.

It wasn't quite true. His opinion mattered. If he wanted to fight tooth and nail to keep his position in the pack, there was a possibility, but the outcome wasn't set in stone. If the pack had been left without a leader when he chose to spend his powers on easing Stiles' pains, he would have become an Alpha again, by default. Maybe not easily, but it would have happened.

The way Allison handled the situation that night made her rise up and claim the position as a natural. She would have to step down if Derek wanted it back, unless he decided to fight her for it. Derek did not see that happen. He didn't want this to go sour, but deep down he really wanted her to give up the pack.

On the phone, she'd mentioned that she was feeling fine and that she didn't want them to check for poison. She also wanted him to promise not to tell Scott any of this. "Just make sure Stiles doesn't say anything."

What she'd told him while she drove around Beacon Hills that evening with Derek riding shotgun, wiped every other concern of the map for a moment. The fact that she hadn't been poisoned was relieving though. When tears started to run down her cheeks, she pulled over and rubbed her eyes. "Can I do this?" She peeked at Derek through her fingers as she sniffled a little.

Derek didn't really know what to say. Part of him was happy about this, but he didn't know if Allison was, so he tried to keep a straight face. "Of course you can. You're strong. I'm sure you can handle anything, and this is not the end of the world."

She shrugged as she did her best to not smear the mascara anymore than she'd done already. "I don't want to... How can I lead this pack now. I don't think I want to." Her voice was steadier now, but she still seemed a little emotional. Derek new that these news shouldn't necessarily prevent her from being a good leader, but he didn't want to mention it. "I can do it. I should step up."

Allison looked at him curiously. "How? I'm sorry to say this, but you seem to get weaker. How can you..." She shook her head. "If you say so. I guess you know more about this than me." With a huff she turned the ignition key and got the car back on the road. "If there's no other way, I'll be there for the pack, but if..."

Derek put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed it gently. "Where there's a will there is a way. I don't know what will happen, but if you're sure you want to step down..." He cocked his head and looked at her. Allison kept her eyes on the road; she seemed to be thinking hard. "I want to. I don't think I can handle all of this. I am a strong leader; I can help you, but... It's your pack."

After a few minutes of silence, she turned to Derek briefly. "You're weakness is increasing. I can feel it. How is this going to work?" They were back at the loft now, and Allison parked. Derek grabbed her hand and looked into her eyes. "We'll just have to wait and see. My heritage is powerful. The bloodline is strong. It has to work."

With a promise of not telling anybody about the conversation, Derek gave her a quick hug before he exited the car. "I'll just tell them that you're fine now, and that we've ruled out poison." He shrugged. "I'll come up with something."

Allison had seemingly been back to her normal self again after that. With the knowledge he had, he could still sense her concerns, but for the last couple of days she'd managed to smile and laugh probably fooling everybody else to think that nothing was bothering her.

They both knew that this secret couldn't be kept forever, but Derek was not going to push her. For the time being he decided to act like a friend or a big brother, and just support her as best as he could.


	76. Chapter 76

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Derek makes plans on how to deal with Stiles' first full moon. Scott helps him. They know that Stiles doesn't think he needs to be tied up. Allison bumps into Melissa and is urged to get her suspicion confirmed. Alex, Isaac and Periwinkle spend their first night at the house. Lydia gets a surprise visit. Stiles and Derek struggle thought the night, it's painful and bloody, but not as bad as Derek feared.

With Dave and the others staying in the camper at the Hale-house, there was no way they could use the basement to tie up Stiles for the full moon. A suggestion from Chris about using his basement got turned down. In the middle of a crowded neighborhood, it could be a little too noisy.

The same was true about the Stilinski-house and the McCall-house. The fact that Scott and Stiles' parents didn't know about the bite in the first place made those locations unsuited regardless.

There were really no other option than to do it at the loft. It required a few additions to the inventory, but with Chris' help, Derek came up with something that hopefully would work.

Stiles was at work that evening and had no idea about what was going on. Alex and Isaac were at the Hale-house painting, and would possibly spend the night there. With the downstairs bathroom semi-operational, the two of them had asked if they could camp in their new room.

One of the wooden vertical beams was enhanced with steel plating and big sturdy eye bolts. Derek had planned to do this all by himself, but when Scott offered to help out he was happy about it. The dogs that were rescued had been treated and sent to a shelter, giving Scott a long awaited time off. He'd wanted to spend it with Allison, but she had turned him down for some reason.

Derek was pretty sure he knew why, but he couldn't tell Scott. He'd been sworn to secrecy, so the only thing he could come up with to comfort the guy, was to explain that she was still struggling with the pack-leading business, and didn't want anyone to try to sway her one way or the other. Scott had reluctantly accepted it, and decided to help Derek secure Stiles safely during the full moon.

When Stiles stepped inside as they fastened the last eye bolt, he stared at them dumbfounded. "What is going on?" It was pretty clear that he knew the answer, so neither Scott nor Derek bothered to say anything.

"I can handle myself! I don't need to be chained up!" It sounded like he was completely sure about it, but Derek knew that he was slightly delusional. "Stiles, sweetheart. It has to be done. You are gonna lose control."

Stiles rolled his eyes as he walked over to the kitchen and grabbed a beer from the fridge. "Are you fucking kidding me? Gather the troops and let everybody keep an eye on me. I promise I won't attack anybody."

Derek and Scott exchanged a look. "You think so, but that is not how this works. This has to be done, and it's nonnegotiable." Derek threw his hands out and shrugged. "Deal with it."

Stiles turned his gaze towards Scott. "Will you please stand up for me? Tell him I'll be fine." He was practically pleading. Scott shook his head. "No can do. Derek is right. We're gonna have to play this little game called bondage."

Derek was on his way towards the kitchen, but stopped short, and bowed his head when Scott mentioned that word. With a chuckle, he threw a quick peek at Stiles. "You know this game. You usually enjoy it." A heavy sigh from Scott told him that he'd probably revealed more than the guy wanted to hear.

"Your sex-life doesn't interest me one bit. I don't want to know." Scott sounded a little disturbed, but he continued. "You think you are in control, but you're not. We have to do this."

A few seconds of total silence followed before Stiles drew his breath heavily. "It's not until early in the morning. I know the exact time, so don't try to fool me like you did with Allison." He stared directly at Derek now. "I'll be a good boy and let you chain me up, but please let us be alone. I don't want to embarrass myself." He started walking over to the bathroom. "Let me take a leak and change into something more comfortable. We can plan this when I come back."

For Derek and Scott it wasn't even necessary to exchange a word. They both knew what to do. As soon as Stiles came back wearing pajama pants and a tank-top, they jumped him and forced him towards the enhanced beam. Stiles got so surprised by the ambush that he didn't even try to protest or fight back. Before he regained his ability to speak, he was already chained securely.

"NO! What are you doing?! I'm fine. I'm still in control of myself. I hate you, eh, no I really don't." He was pulling on the chains as he tried to meet Derek's eyes. "I can't... You can't chain me up now. There are several hours till the full moon."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Allison was about to leave when Scott's mom came to the Hale-house. She didn't feel it was appropriate to ignore the woman, so she gave her a quick wave as she walked towards the car. She didn't manage to get inside before Melissa was at her side. "How are you doing?" She cocked her head and tried to meet Allison's eyes.

"Mrs McCall! Nice seeing you again." Allison dared to look at the woman for a split second before she turned to enter the car. She was pretty sure that Melissa wasn't going to accept the story that she and Derek had told the others, but it was still worth a try. She braced herself before she decided to try the lie. "I'm perfectly fine. I was never poisoned. It was just a stomach flu."

Scott's mom shook her head. "Mrs McCall? Are you serious? Why the formalities?" She grabbed Allison's arm and pulled on it gently until they faced each other again. I know you're lying. Common illnesses don't affect you guys. Don't try to fool me.".

Allison looked for an escape, but couldn't find one. She panicked a little when she saw her dad approach. "Uh, Mrs..., eh, Melissa please." Melissa had obviously noticed that Allison was staring at something behind her, and she turned briefly. "Oh, hi Chris. I just wanted to see how it was going. Is Scott here?"

Chris shook his head. "No, I think he's at the loft. Derek needed help with something." He handed Allison a set of keys. "You left them." Turning back to Melissa he continued. "Do you want a quick tour?" Melissa nodded and let go of Allison's arm. "Just give me a second, I wanted to talk to Allison about Scott's birthday."

As soon as Chris had left again, Melissa turned back to Allison. "Tell me the truth please." She sighed. "Will my son get a birthday surprise that he never counted on?" Allison closed her eyes, and took a deep breath before she decided to come clean. "I don't know. I think so, but I really don't know for sure."

It was hard to interpret the look on Melissa's face. She was obviously disturbed by the news, but she managed to keep calm. "Maybe you should get it confirmed. It'll be easier to make a decision if you know for sure."

Allison looked up abruptly. "Make a decision on what? There's nothing to do about it regardless." Suddenly she understood what Melissa was talking about and she heaved her breath a little. "No! I'm not gonna..." She looked up again, and could see her dad waiting patiently on the porch. "I should go."

Melissa followed her line of view and nodded. "Okay, but please..." She grabbed Allison's hand and squeezed it gently. "I can honestly say that I'm not thrilled, but part of me is surprisingly happy. I kind of hope it's just false alarm though, but please find out."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Dave and his crew started working at sunrise everyday, so they turned in early. Shortly after Chris had given Melissa a tour through the house, the two of them left.

Alex and Isaac were sitting on one of the logs surrounding the fire-pit. Periwinkle was sleeping in the doghouse behind them; Alex had stuffed a pillow in there, and the dog seemed to like it. The night was warm, and even if the fire was slowly dying down, it was still comfortable outside.

They knew what was going on in the loft at the moment, and had begged Derek to let them stay at the house. Isaac had told Derek that if he needed help, they'd be there, but that they preferred to stay away.

The fact that Dave and Carl originally came from a hunter family was kind of scary. Especially since the full moon was right around the corner. Alex knew for sure that he could control himself, and Isaac had claimed that he could too.

Chris had told them that the two guys had never been on a hunt, and that they didn't have any knowledge about werewolves. Their grandfather had done his best to keep them away from it, and pushed them to get an education before he'd even consider letting them partake in the family business.

Not knowing what the family business really was, they'd both thought it had to do with firearms; they had followed granddad's advice. When their dad got mauled to death by a grizzly – it wasn't really a grizzly – their grandfather had ended the hunter-career and focused on the gun shop.

Alex could hear the snores from the RV and for a while, he and Isaac had fun trying to pinpoint exactly where the three guys were sleeping. "Dave is definitely in the back, no doubt about it." Isaac cocked his head. "I can't really hear Carl, he is a very quiet sleeper."

That game lost it's interest when they heard a rustle in the bushes. They grabbed each others hands and stared at the treeline. There could be rogue wolves out there, but they really didn't believe that. Sitting there completely still, they suddenly saw a head peeking out between the leaves. The cat stared at them for a split second before it vanished between the bushes again.

"It's a good thing we have a guard dog." Isaac chuckled a little as he pointed over to the doghouse. Peri was standing up; he's ears turned towards where the cat had disappeared, but he didn't emit a sound. Alex got up and walked over to him. Periwinkle started jumping up and down wagging his tail vigorously. A small yap was the only sound he made, as if he knew that he had to be quiet.

Alex detached the leash and lifted him up. "Good dog. We don't want you to chase cats or other animals. You're gonna be a nice and friendly fellow." He turned to Isaac. "Maybe we should try to get some sleep."

Isaac looked at his boyfriend and smiled. "Maybe we should." The fire was almost completely died down, so he didn't bother to do anything about it. He went over to Alex and patted Peri before he kissed his Alex on the cheek. "Our first night on our new home."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

When Allison came to her house, Lydia didn't really know how to interpret it. It was late in the evening, and she hadn't heard from her in almost two weeks. She'd been utterly disappointed about that, although she knew she could have made contact herself. Pride had prevented her from doing so, but it had taken it's toll.

She'd tried to call Stiles on a couple of occasions, but all she got was his voice-mail. She'd sent a text message asking how he was doing, and got a short 'I'm fine, why?' as a reply. She felt a little left out in the cold. All her closest friends were werewolves now; maybe they didn't want to hang with her anymore.

Not really sure what to say to her former best friend, Lydia waited in the doorway for Allison to explain herself before she wanted to let her in.

"I need to talk with you. I promise you that Stiles is fine. If he hasn't told you already, you've got to trust me on that." Allison sounded distressed, but Lydia wasn't quite ready to patch up their friendship just like that. "No, I haven't talked with him. I haven't talked with anybody." She shook her head. "Maybe it's partially my own fault, but I'm still angry. I can't..."

Allison cut her off. "I need a friend. I need you." Her voice was trembling, and she hurried to wipe her eyes. "Please." She lifted her hand and presented a small box. It took a split second before Lydia realized what it contained, and it changed everything instantly.

"Are you serious? You think..." She grabbed Allison's hand and dragged her into the house. "Come on. Let's go to my room." She sent Allison up the stairs while she went to the living room and told her parents about her visitor. Except for being a little surprised by the fact that Allison showed up this late, they didn't question it any further.

Allison was sitting on her bed when she entered the room. She was playing with the little box as she stared out the window. Lydia rushed over and sat down next to her. "Are you going to check right now, or...?" She pointed to the box.

With a sigh, Allison opened it and pulled out the thing inside. "I guess it's just as well. I'm sorry about everything, but I knew that you were the only person I wanted to be with for this." She got up and moved towards the bathroom. "Scott doesn't know anything, and I didn't want to tell him until I'm sure."

For the almost five minutes Allison was in the bathroom, Lydia just sat there and stared at the door. She wondered if Allison would even come out before she had a confirmation, when the door opened slowly. "I left it in there on the sink. Can you check it?" Lydia nodded and was about to get up when Allison stopped her. "Wait! It said two minutes. Just wait."

-o-o-o-o-o-

'Seeing red' was just an expression. It was never really like that when you get angry or upset. Stiles had always thought so, but during that night he literally saw red. He didn't even know where the anger came from.

After Derek had provided him with pillows and a blanket and made sure he was able to rest comfortably against the beam, he'd calmed down and accepted his fate. Derek was sleeping – or pretended to sleep – on the couch, but Scott had according to Stiles' wish left them alone.

Without having the most comfortable sleeping-quarters of all times, he still managed to get a little bit of shuteye. He woke up from the pain around his wrist, and realized that he'd been pulling hard on the cuffs. Stiles looked at the blood running down his hands as he did his best to relax.

He didn't know what time it was, but he knew he hadn't slept long, and was surprised about how awake he felt. The urge to get up and out was almost overwhelming, but as long as he told himself to calm down, it kind of worked. That was until it didn't work anymore.

It was almost like the room was covered in a shade of red, as if a veil was pulled over his eyes. Stiles still managed to keep quiet, but he started to pull hard on the chains again. If he could unscrew the eye-bolts he could come loose, but they were cleverly attached so he couldn't reach them. An attempt to reach them anyway almost resulted in a fractured arm.

The anger that had started boiling inside him soon turned in to uncontrollable rage when he understood that he was stuck. The only thing he had to take it out on was the poor pillow. Stiles could see the claws come out and he ripped the thing to shreds, making feathers fly. So far, he hadn't made too much noise, but the frustration made him howl loudly.

In a fog he could see that Derek got up from the couch, but he didn't come to close. At that moment Stiles hated him, and he could possibly have said something to that regard. The thing was, that what happened the rest of the night – or morning – had left huge holes in his memory.

He vaguely remembered that Derek at one point was sitting in front of him – at a safe distance – begging him to try to stay in control. The word 'anchor' was mentioned, and Stiles managed to understand the meaning, before the uncontrollable anger took over again.

During the few glimpses of sanity he experienced, Stiles tried to find something in his brain to hold on to. It was like he was flipping through a bunch of index cards to grasp the meaning on them. Pictures of his friends and family flew by, but none of them prevented him from sinking into oblivion again.

Between the screams and howls he emitted, Stiles could hear Derek's voice proclaiming his love. That didn't help much; every time Derek's voice trickled into his ears, he got even more angry. It was almost like his unconsciousness didn't want him to find an anchor.

Just before dawn, as he was hanging by the cuffs unable to stand on his feet, a thought entered his mind. He knew that Scott had found his anchor through anger, and if that was possible, love could have the same effect and get him though this in one piece.

He tried to listen more carefully to Derek's words, and as long as he managed to keep quiet, they actually started to calm him down. He knew that the moon was at it's peek; he could feel it in his bones, but Derek's words were like a mantra.

"I love you." His own screeching voice scared him a little, but he continued. "I love Allison and Scott and everybody... and I love my mom." Tears started running down his cheeks, but then a burst of rage took over again, and with all the strength he could muster, he pulled on the chains until he heard a creak from the beam.

Derek jumped up from the floor and tried to grab his wrist, but he wasn't fast enough. Another tug on the chain made the eye-bolt come loose. It swung around and it hit Derek hard on the forehead. Blood was gushing out as he did his best to keep himself upright. Knowing that it was possible to get out of his restraints, Stiles grabbed the chain attached to his other hand and pulled as hard as he could.

The last thing he remembered from that night, was Derek's fist coming towards his jaw.

-o-o-o-o-o-

It had been a long night. Derek was exhausted from trying to keep his boyfriend restrained. He was pretty sure he'd fractured Stiles' jaw when he hit him, but it didn't really stop him for more than a few minutes; definitely not long enough to get the eye-bolt back in.

Instead, Derek had to use all his strength to hold the chain, and make sure that it would be impossible for Stiles to pull too hard on the rest of the bolts. He'd constantly whispered sweet little nothings into his ear, but it took almost two hours before he could sense a change.

As the sun started to rise, Stiles body got heavier and he stopped fighting. The skin around his ankles were practically gone, and the raw exposed flesh was bleeding. The jaw had probably healed already, and there was only a faint bluish tint on the skin. That would be gone soon also. Derek himself had multiple bite-marks all over his arm and shoulder, but he felt it was worth it.

It was completely quiet now. Stiles was practically unconscious, but Derek waited another hour before he dared to unchain him completely. He lifted him up and carried him to the couch before he went to the bathroom to find a towel. Then, he gently started to wipe the blood off his mate's body.

Stiles had been partially right; the transition had been quite easy. Derek wasn't sure if Stiles himself would look at it that way, but compared to other newly hatched werwolves, he'd been more alert than most.

As uncomfortable as it was, Derek managed to lie down next to Stiles on the couch. He'd probably sleep for a while. Even if he wouldn't remember much from this night, Stiles would be exhausted for a long time.


	77. Chapter 77

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is almost a completely Derek centric chapter. Uncomfortable thoughts and embarrassment make up the rest of it.
> 
> Derek assesses his life through memories about the past and worries about the future.

Derek left the loft and went to the house. He needed some alone time, and it was way too crowded up there.

It had been almost a week since the full moon, and Stiles had been holding court every day. Everybody was eager to know how he was doing, and he'd been the center of attention. That he enjoyed it wasn't hard to understand; he'd been more or less ignored during the two weeks between the bite and the full moon. Derek knew that Stiles was aware that it had nothing to do with him per se, but he'd been slightly annoyed.

Derek had really tried to be there for him, but he had to go to the house almost every day. Scott had been working overtime with the dogs from the puppy-mill, and Allison had her own struggles. Isaac and Alex had lived in their own little world. Partially because of the news about Alex' mother, but they had also been excited about finding furniture for their room.

Tonight, Stiles had invited everybody over for game-night. Even Lydia showed up, and the reunion scene between her and Stiles would have made a less confident man than Derek extremely jealous.

A couple of the attendees were people Derek didn't even know, but he didn't really care. These guys went to school together, and wanted to hang out before they had to get back to the mill. Derek could perfectly well understand that. He was actually more jealous of the fact that they were all going to get a diploma, than he was of Stiles paying more attention to them than him.

Derek slipped out of there without anyone noticing, and he was actually happy about getting away. There were bigger issues coming, and he didn't want to be a party pooper. The High school reunion thing was just too much for him at the moment.

At the Hale-house, Derek got out of the car and stared at the facade of the building. Except for a few minor details that had to be fixed, it looked perfect.

He'd never wanted it to be a replica of the old house, and even if it resembled it, the difference was acceptable. He'd always been afraid that the childhood memories would haunt him too much if he'd tried to make it look the same.

Chris had been very helpful. The guy had presented a blueprint that Derek was perfectly satisfied with. That the he'd practically built it also, was never in Derek's plans; he'd thought he he'd have to do it all by himself. It would probably have taken a year, and he would have had to spend a more significant amount of money. Having Allison in the pack turned out to be an economical gain that Derek hadn't even thought of.

-o-o-

Allison left the loft early to go to bed. She had to get up at the crack of dawn to have this horrible meeting with Melissa McCall. It wasn't that she really had to do it, but Melissa pretty much knew about this secret already, and needed to know for sure.

She also knew that she had to have a long conversation with Derek. A new life was growing in her belly, and she still had to try to concentrate on getting her diploma. How to accomplish that in her current situation she didn't even know yet, but she knew for sure that she couldn't be a pack leader. After their previous little chat, she knew that Derek would understand.

Derek was certainly willing but was he able? Allison didn't really know how it worked; if Derek could just take over the pack just like that, or if there had to be some kind of ceremony or something. She felt extremely stupid for not knowing these things, and knew that she had to address it when she eventually talked to Derek. It would possibly be slightly embarrassing, but had to be done.

-o-o-

Indulged in his own thoughts, Derek walked through the house. There was still a lot to do on the inside, but with running water and electricity it wouldn't take long before they could move in. Embarrassed by the fact that he got a little emotional about it, he hurried to wipe his eyes. He thought about what his parents would have said about all this, and he hoped they would have been proud of him.

The fall from being a favorite son in a loving family, to become orphaned had been tougher than Derek had ever cared to admit. Hiding his emotions behind a tough exterior came naturally after he finally accepted his fate. He'd shied away from people who wanted to help him, and he'd eventually ended up as a recluse.

Young and inexperienced, he had thought that the money he inherited would save him from any troubles that came his way. School became a drag. Education was for sissies. In hindsight, he knew that the reason for him skipping school so much was because somebody there actually cared about him.

Derek didn't need the fake attempts from his teacher to 'help him' and 'be there for him'. The humans of Beacon Hills could never understand how he felt. None of them would ever be able to grasp how his loss was more than just a loss of family.

The bond that the werewolves shared was so special, that he'd thought it would be impossible for him to form that bond with anybody outside the pack.

With nobody to hold him back, he'd left Beacon Hills for a time. Lying trough his teeth and faking signatures, he'd attended other high schools, but restlessness had kept him moving around. He never earned his diploma, and it wasn't for the lack of trying. The fact was that when he felt that someone got too close, he'd moved on, and eventually it became too difficult to catch up.

Ever so often he came back to his hometown. He knew now that it was of sentimental reasons, but he never admitted it back then; not even to himself.

Scott McCall changed everything. It didn't happen over night, but the boy's fate had everything to do with Derek's choice to stay in Beacon Hills a little longer than he'd planned. Back then he'd looked at Stiles as Scott's annoying sidekick.

Over time he learned that the bond the two boys shared was more profound than he'd ever thought humans could have. Stiles' commitment to his friend was genuine, and he'd almost been ready to sacrifice himself to help Scott.

Looking back, Derek was abhorred about how he'd treated Stiles in the beginning. Stiles had been scared out of his mind – he'd later told him about that in many, many words – but he'd still challenged Derek on practically everything.

With the weird friendship he'd established with Scott and Stiles through everything that happened later, he'd decided that Beacon Hills wasn't such a bad place to stay. Completely starved for real friendship, it had been a new, and sometimes a little scary experience.

-o-o-

Stiles was extremely disappointed about his own performance when they played this game. He'd been acing it from the moment it was released, but now he was struggling big-time. With Scott and Allison it wasn't such a big deal, but they had other people over, and it was embarrassing.

It was perfectly clear that the others didn't really care who was winning or losing; maybe for a moment, but then it was a new game on.

That Derek just left was not making this evening any better, but Stiles could understand. Video-games were never Derek's favorite pastime, and he also wasn't too comfortable with so many people around.

For years he'd been pretty much living alone, and even if he'd learned to be more sociable, he still preferred smaller groups. Derek really only wanted to hang with his own pack, and didn't care so much about other people.

-o-o-

The attempt to create his own pack, had gone horribly wrong, but the fact that Isaac had stood by him helped a lot on Derek's self-confidence.

Stiles had kept bothering him. Not so much with his words anymore, but Derek knew early on that the guy carried a secret. He knew that Stiles had the hots for him, but he didn't know – and he didn't really care – if it was love.

To this day, Derek was unable to understand his own actions when he decided to get into Stiles' pants. That they did fall in love, and that they were going to live together, didn't change anything. What he'd done to Stiles in the beginning of their relationship was inexcusable. He knew that Stiles had forgiven him, but the creepy nature of the approach was still haunting him.

There was of course nothing to do about that now. Hindsight could be twenty-twenty, but it is still impossible to change the past.

The way he gained his Alpha status wasn't an especially fond memory either. Stealing it from his own uncle wasn't the achievement he was most proud of in his life. He justified it to himself by the fact that Peter had stole it himself. Two wrongs didn't make a right, and as his powers now were withering away, he knew he had it coming. If he wanted to lead this pack, he had to earn it.

Scott had earned his Alpha status simply by his character. Derek knew that it wouldn't be that 'easy' for him. His character flaws was piling up, and becoming an Alpha again seemed completely out of reach.

He'd told Allison that it was possible and he knew it was the truth, but gaining it was not going to be a cakewalk.

The desire he had to lead this pack was overwhelming. When he turned Isaac, Vernon, and Erica, he'd thought it was enough. He thought it was enough to have them.

Reality kicked in, and proved to him that the Beta's under his command didn't see him as a strong enough leader to stick around for.

Derek knew he deserved to lose it. He knew that if he truly wanted to have a pack of his own he needed to step up. He had absolutely no idea how to achieve his goal; at the moment it seemed like an impossible task.

The Hale name and his bloodline should account for something. The family had been strong and closed knit. Talia – his mother – had been a leader for more than her own pack. She'd been someone to count on for other families also. Her words of advice was sought after by other Alphas, and she sometimes acted as an advocate for werewolves that came to her for support.

Derek knew that he could possibly not reach her standards. As the only son, he'd been spoiled and he'd never really learned how to be a strong leader. This pack – his pack – deserved a strong leader, and at the moment he didn't feel that he was.

When he decided to rebuild the house, he'd thought that it would be enough to gather them there and the rest would come by itself. Back then, he didn't feel that unbreakable bond with any of them, but he counted on it to emerge over time. Having Stiles by his side, he'd thought that anything could be possible. His fear of losing Stiles was always there; he wasn't always the best boyfriend, but he chose to believe in love.

During the building process, Derek had felt the bond strengthen, but it wasn't really evolving into the strong commitments that a pack required. He'd still been hopeful that it would change. The change came, but not the way he'd expected.

That fatal night when Stiles almost died, he'd finally felt it. When Allison stepped up and did what had to be done, it had led to a change in the dynamic of the whole pack. By giving up his status, and practically handing it over to the girl, their group had become a real pack. Allison's strength had bonded them on a level that Derek hadn't even dared to hope to achieve.

He knew that the others felt it also. He knew that subconsciously they had accepted her, and would stand by her even if there were a few issues to resolve. Allison was also perfectly aware of this, so it really came as a surprise when she told him that she didn't want to be the pack-leader.

The only one that had supported Derek unconditionally during this process was Stiles. Scott had been very reluctant to join the pack in the first place until Allison stepped up. Isaac had of course stood by him, but he'd been very verbal about Derek's shortcomings, and had easily embraced the new Alpha.

After getting the bite from Allison, Stiles had tried to convince Derek that he still wanted him to lead the pack, but it was perfectly clear that he was struggling with it. There was a special bond between Allison and Stiles now, and Derek knew exactly how he felt.

How Derek could possibly get the pack back was beyond him. A pack led by a Beta wasn't unheard of but in this case, it could be troublesome.

In his head he knew that his own fear of commitment was partially to blame for this mess. Wanting a pack of his own, required that he made promises and showed them that he would stand by them forever.

After losing his whole family, it had been hard to trust anyone. The relationship he had with Stiles had taught him so much though, and he'd started to believe that he could have a family again. The only thing was that he hadn't even made any real promises to Stiles either. How could the others trust him and support him unconditionally if he didn't even dare to make a real commitment with the love of his life.

-o-o-

Mr Stilinski had no idea what was going on with Melissa at that lunch in the park. She'd seemed enthusiastic and pretty happy when she came, but then it had all been weird and almost uncomfortable.

She'd clearly had something else on her mind, something that she didn't want to share at the moment. Mr Stilinski was confident enough to assume that this had nothing to do with him. She had really made an effort.

He suspected that it could have to do with Scott and his decision to move. They had learned enough about theses werewolves to know that if Scott and Allison wanted a future together, nobody could keep them apart. Stilinski had pondered on bringing it up; he had his own concerns about this big move, but he decided to let her talk about it when she was ready.

That Stiles was going to move in to that house also, had been been hard to accept in the beginning, but Stilinski felt that there wasn't much he could do about it. Putting his foot down and begging him to wait could possibly make things worse.

After a long and hard deliberation with himself, he'd decided to let it happen. If everything went sour, he'd be there for his son. It wasn't like he would be far away; they'd still see each other on a regular basis.

Derek turned out to be an stand-up guy, and there were no doubt that he really cared for Stiles. It had still not been easy to come to terms with the fact that Stiles was in a gay relationship.

Mr Stilinski had had his doubts about Derek to begin with, but it wasn't hard to understand that his son was happier than he'd ever seen him. Still, moving in together was a big step though.

-o-o-

Standing by the window in the room that he and Stiles would share, Derek was thinking about the future. Six people living together could be tough, especially when a few of them had never lived a away from their parents before.

Werewolves or not, there would probably be a few bumps in the road before they all found their place into this 'family'. Stiles was kind of spoiled, but he was really making an effort. He'd practically lived at the loft during the summer, and except for a few moody moments, it had gone really well.

Isaac had been a roommate for a long time already, and even if they bumped heads a couple of times, it had been okay. With Alex thrown into the mix, Isaac had really matured, and the two of them would probably handle the situation easier than most. Alex was acting like a little housewife already.

Derek had been a little concerned about the guy's submissive behavior in the beginning, and wondered if he was just doing it to make amends. Over time Alex had showed that he wasn't such a pushover, and that he also absolutely enjoyed the chores in the kitchen.

Scott and Allison were really the ones that concerned Derek the most. That they had spent a fair amount of time at the loft, and even slept over a couple of times, didn't change anything. The two of them had always been treated as guests. The fact that they also had been quite reluctant to even join the pack to begin with could also have caused problems. They had come around and with Allison's new status, there hadn't been any more discussion about it.

It wasn't that Derek worried a lot about it; he was just trying to be prepared for anything. He hadn't been ready for Allison's news, but he knew that all he had to do was to have a conversation with her about it. Her little 'problem' was going to be an issue, and the housemates had to know about it.

Derek walked through the hall and peeked in to the small room next to Allison and Scott's. Someone had joked about turning it into a nursery. It wasn't a joke anymore. It could happen sooner than anyone would have expected.

Trying to look at this as a positive development, Derek descended the stairs and went outside. He had no idea if Allison would actually go through with it, but he was surprised to discover that he really hoped so.

They could have moved in tomorrow, but Derek wanted to make sure that everything was in order first. The plumbing was almost done, the only thing left was the shower in the guest bathroom upstairs. They had gotten the wrong fixtures, but Mouth promised to come back later to finish it. Dave had also promised to come back. The electric was technically done also, but they needed lights in the attic if they were going to use it for anything. There were also a few minor issues in the basement.

They had talked about what to do down there, and the consensus had been on turning it into a gym or something like that. It would have to wait though.

Derek turned on the porch-light before he left. He walked to the car and as he got in he look at the house. In spite of the dark windows without any curtains or other decorations, it seemed more inviting now when the yellow glow from the lamp lit up the front of it.


	78. Chapter 78

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Confirmation and revelation. Allison's little secret isn't a secret anymore. Build up to the moment where she tells everybody.

Melissa sat in the nurses' office sorting through some papers that needed to be filed. She'd volunteered for this task today to make sure she didn't have to take care of any patients when Allison came.

'Need to talk. When can I see you?' The short text from the girl yesterday morning had sent shivers down her spine. She knew what it was all about, and all sorts of thoughts went trough her head at the same time. It could of course be about something totally different, but she had to face the facts. Why would Allison need to talk to her if it wasn't about the suspected pregnancy?

She'd tried to act professional when she replied. 'Tomorrow morning at 7am. Ask for me at the front desk.' Maybe Allison wanted to come to the house, but Melissa wasn't sure she could handle the truth if she acted like a mother. She needed to be nurse McCall for this. Allison had sent an 'okay', and that was it.

The whole day yesterday, Melissa had pretty much been on autopilot. She'd worked the day shift and was happy when she came home to an empty house. Later, Scott had called and told her that Stiles had invited him over for game-night. She knew that it could drag out, and she'd actually been relived. She felt a little bad for not wanting to see her son at the moment, but she knew that he would sense that she was troubled by something, so this was better.

During the week and a half that had gone by since Melissa suspected that Allison had to be pregnant, she'd barely seen Scott. Last week, he'd worked overtime at Deaton's clinic, and with her own shifts at the hospital, they had pretty much met in the door. This week, Scott had spent more time with his friends at the Hale-house and at the loft, and he'd dived into bed as soon as he came home.

The few moments she'd spent with her son told her that he was clueless about Allison's little secret. Melissa wondered how he'd take it. He'd matured significantly over the summer, but she wasn't sure if he was ready for this. He'd turn eighteen in a few days, and he'd possibly be a father long before his nineteenth birthday.

Sitting there sorting papers, she heard the ping from an incoming message. She picked up her phone, pretty sure it was from Allison. The girl had probably chickened out.

'Dinner tonight? I can pick you up at 7.' Melissa stared at the text. She'd thought that Mr Stilinski had given up on her. She was happy that he hadn't, but she wasn't sure if she could handle it right now.

There was a knock on the door and she hurried to tuck the phone away. She could answer him later. Through the little window she could see Allison, and she knew that she'd be unable to make any decisions before she'd talked to her son's girlfriend.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Alex and Isaac had pretty much moved in already. Their room was done, and even if it wasn't completely furnished it yet, they wanted to stay there. This really felt like home; more so than the loft, and definitely more than the mansion.

After living on the streets for so long, he'd been excited about having his own room at Hester's house. Even with the abuse, he still felt that it was the best he could hope for. It was definitely way better than what he'd been used to from his time with his stepfather.

During his stay at the loft, he'd learned that life didn't have to be a struggle. The glimpses of freedom he thought he had in the mansion, paled in comparison with his new life with Isaac and the rest of Derek's pack. It was like he was given a second chance, and he wasn't going to spoil it.

He'd worried that the suspicion about Allison being poisoned would ruin it all, but nobody had mentioned anything about it later. Alex was not going to remind them, but he was still a little concerned. Isaac clearly didn't know anything about it; at least he hadn't said anything.

The vague explanation from Derek about a stomach flu didn't sound particularly plausible, but as long as poisoning was ruled out, he wasn't going to question it. Alex couldn't help thinking about it though, and had secretly tried to find out what was really going on.

Allison had been at the house every day since then, and even if they didn't exchange many words, it was clear that she didn't think that he had tried to poison her. She'd eaten his food without suspicion, and had frequently mentioned that she loved it.

Alex was pretty sure that she raved a little extra about to make him understand that she trusted him, and that made him even more suspicious. It was like she was trying too hard, so even if poison was ruled out, something wasn't right.

It wasn't until this morning, that he finally managed to put two and two together. He and Isaac had pretty much spent all their time at the house lately; sleeping there almost every night. Derek and Chris showed up early, and sometimes they'd brought take-away for breakfast.

This morning, Allison had come to drop of her dad. Chris' car was at the garage because a faulty light. When Derek came a few minutes later with a pile of sandwiches from the deli, he'd offered her one. She'd politely declined, stating that she was going back home to sleep some more.

It was just a coincidence that Alex peeked out the window as Allison walked back to her car. What he saw made all the puzzle pieces come together. Just as she was about to enter the car, he could see that she covered her mouth hurriedly. Then she moved to hide herself from being seen from the house. She was not completely covered, and there were no doubt that she was puking into the bushes.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Something wasn't right. Allison had been evasive and distant for the longest time. She claimed she was fine, but Scott had spent so much time with her that he knew that she wasn't completely truthful.

According to Derek, it was the pack-leading-business that occupied her mind at the moment, but it didn't sit well with Scott. Why wouldn't she come to him for advice? Even if she didn't need that, he could at least comfort her.

When they worked together at the house, she'd been acting like her old self. They had joked around as they tried to agree on how to furnish their room, and Allison seemed very excited about it.

As the day turned into evening, her behavior had slowly changed, and she'd suddenly just got up and left. The couple of times that Scott had asked if they could go to his place, she'd explained that she wanted to spend more time with her dad until they could move in.

Scott had been disappointed, but with Stiles nagging him about playing some video games every night it had worked out fine. He and Stiles hadn't spent too much time together either lately, so it was actually fun to hang with him like they used to in the olden days.

There were no indications to believe that Allison was tired of him; she'd been cuddly and flirtatious every day. The excitement she showed when they talked about how it would be to live together as a couple, couldn't be fake. Maybe Derek was right. Maybe she just needed some time to come to terms with her new status.

Scott had tried to address it, but she had evaded any questions about it. He decided to let it be, and just hope that it would all work out.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Melissa was almost ready when Mr Stilinski came to pick her up. She decided to say yes to the invitation, even if she knew it could be risky. An awkward breakfast and an even more awkward lunch wasn't the best start.

With the news she received at the hospital today, she wasn't sure she could carry a normal conversation, but sitting home alone pondering on it wasn't an option. It could of course be even worse. Scott could be home. Allison had begged her to keep it a secret for now; the girl wanted to reveal it herself when the time was right.

It hadn't been easy to act professional when they met at the hospital this morning. Allison was clearly timid; she'd stood by the door for a whole minute before she came over and sat down on the edge of the chair.

Melissa had done what she usually did facing a young girl in Allison's situation. In her work she'd met several of them. Allison hadn't told her straight out that she was pregnant, but by suggesting this meeting, Melissa was pretty sure.

"Did you take a test?" She'd tried to meet Allison's eyes, but had to give up. She did get a response though. That quick nod was all she needed. "And it was positive?" She knew the answer, but she was not prepared for her own reaction when Allison gave her a faint 'yeah'.

She could practically feel the blood rushing through her veins. Droplets of sweat were forming under her clothes, and she had to take a moment before she could continue. She was pretty sure that Allison noticed, but she didn't say anything.

As soon as she'd composed herself again, she'd asked the routine questions about her last period and such. A urine sample was sent for analysis, and the result supported the pregnancy test. She'd already asked one of the gynecologists to perform an ultrasound. It wasn't easy to fit in, so Allison had to wait for almost an hour before she got in.

Melissa peeked out the window. Mr Stilinski was standing by his car waiting for her. She wondered if she should tell him about it. This date would definitely be easier to get through if he knew. She put her shoes on and stepped outside, still not sure what would be the right course of action.

They got into the car and as soon as it was in motion, she made a decision. "Please forgive me for being so absentminded lately, but in six months time, I'm going to be a grandmother."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

When Isaac and Alex decided to move in to the house before they had any furniture, Stiles had been happy about it. The loft didn't leave anything to imagination when it came to soundproofing, so when he and Derek could have it for themselves, it was greatly appreciated.

That they'd had friends over almost every evening for the last week didn't matter. As soon as everybody had left, he and Derek been able to really let loose, without being intimidated by anything or anyone.

Stiles was still a little shy when he knew that someone could hear them having sex, so the last few days had been exceptional. Earlier, he'd also felt a little inferior knowing that Derek was so much stronger than him, but lately they had been more like equals.

That didn't make sense really. Even as a werewolf, Stiles knew that he was a puny one, but Derek seemed to have lost more of his strength than could be explained by the loss of his Alpha-status. Maybe he was faking it just to make Stiles happy.

Regardless, Stiles knew that something wasn't right. The more he thought about it, the more he realized that Derek had been acting kind of strange lately. Everything that had to do with his new status and Allison's rise was explainable, but there were obviously other things bothering his mate.

It wasn't easy to pinpoint – it was only a vague notion – but Stiles was pretty sure that Derek was hiding something. Stiles didn't want to ask. His birthday was coming up soon and it could be related to that.

He and Scott had often celebrated their birthdays together. They had talked about what to do this year, and had agreed that they didn't want a big elaborate party like the one Isaac and Alex had.

Scott was partially set on an idea to just take Allison out for dinner and not have a party at all. Stiles could understand that. Allison had also been acting weird lately. According to Scott, the two of them hadn't spent a night together for more than a week.

Alex had frowned at that idea. He really wanted to have another big celebration at the house. The kitchen would be up and running by then, so he'd looked forward to cook for a party. Since both Stiles and Scott were adamant on keeping it low key, he'd caved in, but begged them to at least consider a small dinner-party.

They hadn't really agreed on anything yet, but so far it looked like Scott was going to spend his real birthday with Allison. In the weekend, when Stiles finally turned eighteen, they could celebrate together with a dinner a the house. Mrs McCall and Mr Stilinski would be the only invited guests.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Allison wasn't sure that it was the best birthday present in the world, but she'd decided to tell Scott about the pregnancy on that day. She'd been pondering on when exactly to reveal it, and was thinking that the best would be to wait till the end of the dinner. At the same time, she thought it would be more fair if she told him as soon as they met.

She'd thought about it long and hard last night, but hadn't managed to decide before she fell asleep. This morning; after the routine puking, she'd come to a totally different conclusion.

This wasn't only something that would concern her and Scott. Their soon to be new housemates deserved to know also. Without hesitation she picked up her phone and called Derek to get some advice.

She was happy when he told her that he was in the car alone; she didn't want anyone to hear this conversation. "I went to the hospital. It's confirmed." Allison could hear that Derek drew his breath quickly, and she wished she could have seen his face. It wasn't easy to know if he was freaked out or excited about the news.

"Do I dare to say congratulations?" Derek's question puzzled her a little, but then she understood. He wondered if she was going to go through with it. "You can. I'm slowly starting to enjoy this." Allison was surprised by her own words. Up to this very moment, she'd been mostly scared.

Derek didn't sound worried at all, not even when she told him the reason for her call. "What can they do? I'm sure everybody will get excited about this." He chuckled a little. "Oh, maybe Scott will freak out somewhat, but..." He didn't finish. Allison sighed. "I know." She hesitated a little before she continued. "I just wonder when I should tell him, and should I reveal it to everybody at the same time?"

After a little back and forth, Derek came up with a solution. "Why don't we gather at the loft before your dinner. It is Scott's birthday after all, and I want to give him a present." He paused for a second. "You can tell him first, and then the two of you can tell the others."

Allison was still not sure how to do it, but it wouldn't help much to postpone it. "Okay, but do we need a ruse to get him to come? He didn't want a party, you know." Scott was so against surprise parties that luring him there wouldn't fly.

"I'll come up with something, don't worry." Derek sounded very convincing, so Allison decided to leave it to him. "I guess it's a date then. Shall we say around five?"

-o-o-o-o-o-

Scott was very suspicious when he came to the loft that afternoon. Derek had promised him that they were not planning a party, and he sounded truthful, but it was still something clandestine about his behavior.

He had heard that Derek told Chris that he'd be back to the house later, so he could be telling the truth. Alex and Isaac had barely left the site for a week, but Scott knew that they were at the loft now. It was strange, and could mean that Derek's promise to Chris was just for show. Stiles hadn't been there at all, but he could be at work. They had talked on the phone earlier that day, when Stiles called to wish him a happy birthday, but there were no indications to assume that Stiles had any secret agenda.

Allison seemed excited, as if she knew something that Scott didn't. He'd overheard that Derek invited her to the loft also, and she'd actually blushed a little when she accepted. The look the two of them exchanged was intriguing, and Scott's suspicious mind had blossomed again.

When he'd told the others that he didn't want a party, they had accepted it. Alex was the only one who'd seemed disappointed to learn that he was taking Allison out on a dinner date instead. Scott had booked a table at the finest restaurant in Beacon Hills, and just hoped that he had enough money to cover the bill.

He knocked and stepped inside. Isaac and Stiles were playing a video-game; Alex was pulling a plate with fresh baked cookies out of the oven, and Derek just stepped out of the bathroom with a towel around his waist. It didn't look like anybody was planning a party. Scott sighed in relief as he walked over to the recliner where Allison was sitting watching the game.

She jumped up when he approached and flung her arms around him. "Happy birthday!" She smiled. "I know I've said it already, but you know..." She grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the door again. "They have a small present for you. I don't know what it is, but I have something to tell you first."

-o-o-o-o-o-

Alex pushed Isaac's feet of the table and put the cookies down. Derek had gotten dressed now, and were pacing around waiting for Scott and Allison to come back. It took a while, but suddenly the door slowly opened.

Scott was white as sheet, and Allison looked like she'd been crying. Alex was pretty sure he knew what had happened out there on the stoop, and he didn't like what he saw. Isaac and Stiles were to indulged in the game to notice a first, but when Derek emitted a faint 'no' they both looked up.

Allison wiped her eyes and grabbed Scott's hand. She sniffled a little. "It's not as bad as it looks. This is my happy-face." The chuckled she emitted wasn't completely steady, but there was a smile tickling her lips. "We have an announcement."

Everybody was staring at them now. Scott drew his breath quickly and displayed a grimace that could resemble a smile. He threw a peek at Allison, and nudged her with his shoulder. He clearly wanted her to do the talking.

"Well, I hope you guys will be happy. The six of us are moving in together, but we're really seven." She patted her belly and looked down at it. Alex couldn't help himself. He screamed from the top of his lungs and ran over to hug her. "I knew it! This is awesome!"

It took a few moments for Isaac and Stiles to catch up. "We're having a baby." Scott had to actually say the words, before the two boys finally got it. They flung the controllers on the couch and hurried over to Scott and Allison.

It became very clear that Derek knew about this already. He kept his cool, and walked over to pat Scott's back. "Good job, buddy. But this wasn't the only surprise." He picked an envelope out of his pocket. "I know where you're taking her for dinner. This gift card should cover whatever you guys decide to have. Happy birthday!"


	79. Chapter 79

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Isaac and Alex do a little 'construction' of their own. Melissa and Mr Stilinski's have dinner date. Scott is moving furniture, and the house starts looking like a home. Stiles helps Alex with the food for his and Scott's birthday party. Mr Stilinski has news about Alex' mom. Scott and Allison get a surprise.

The fact that Allison didn't want to tell her dad about the pregnancy yet became a problem for Alex and Isaac. After they learned the truth, Alex wanted to fix up the room next to hers and Scott's. It wasn't easy without Chris finding out, so they had to wait until he left the house before they could get anything done.

Without telling anybody, they'd acquired paint and wallpaper, hiding the cost in the food budget. They knew that Derek would find out eventually, but hopefully they'd be done by then. They weren't even sure if they could actually pull it off, but they had learned a few tricks from watching Chris.

The painting was done in one night; they'd decided on a light green color for the bottom part of the room. Isaac turned out to be quite the artist, and he'd spent the next night painting flowers here and there. The wallpaper was a bit more of a struggle. It was sky blue with white clouds, and Alex was almost in tears when he realized that they had to align those little clouds to make it look good. It took a few trials and fails before they got the hang of it, and for a while they weren't sure if they had enough wallpaper.

When it was done, they soon discovered that they'd need something to divide the walls horizontally to cover up the division between the blue sky and the green meadow below. The floor was also an issue. It was practically finished, but the work on it had been abandoned a couple of weeks ago, in favor of the rooms that needed to be done first.

Derek had decided that the two small bedrooms upstairs could wait; they could easily fix them up after they'd moved in.

Scratching their heads in frustration, they finally decided to let Derek in on their little secret. It wasn't easy to catch him alone, but with a little white lie, Isaac managed to get him to come upstairs while Alex served the others lunch. Knowing that they weren't too skilled, he hoped that Derek wouldn't be mad at them for taking this matter into their own hands.

Derek seemed baffled, but he was definitely not angry. He pointed out a few minor mistakes, but all in all he seemed thrilled by what they had accomplished.

When Derek decided to stay behind that evening, Stiles was the only one who questioned it. Isaac didn't know what Derek told him, but he'd left with a smile on his face, and a promise to bring breakfast in the morning.

"I told him that we were working on a surprise for Scott and Allison. He was very curious, but I promised to show him tomorrow." Derek rolled his eyes. "It means that we have a lot of work to do tonight."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

The dinner-date went much better than the other two attempts. When Melissa revealed that Allison was pregnant, Mr Stilinski had almost swerved off the road. He'd wondered how the rest of the evening would go with this hanging over her head.

It turned out that it wasn't a problem. After swearing him to secrecy she'd told him the whole story, and after that, the conversation went like a breeze. She was clearly concerned about this, but she'd told him that she was happy to be able to share her worries with somebody.

Knowing that this was not going to be a concern for him in the near future – maybe not ever – Mr Stilinski discovered that it made him a little sad. Should he never experience the joy of being a grandparent, or was this gay thing Stiles had going on just a phase? He decided not to think about it. Stiles was still young, and so was Derek.

On Friday, they were both invited to Stiles and Scott's little birthday dinner. Mr Stilinski was excited about meeting Melissa again. He really liked her; there was a real friendship in the making, but he didn't know if anything more was going to evolve from that.

It wasn't like he was desperate or anything. Ever since his wife died, he'd dived into his work. Taking care of Stiles had been his main objective, besides that. Even if he'd been on a few dates over the years, he was never really interested.

Things looked different now. Stiles was growing up. The last couple of weeks he'd discovered new sides of his son. He seemed to have matured significantly lately. Mr Stilinski also suspected that Stiles had stopped taking his medicine, but he was still less hyper than ever.

It could of course be a misconception. He hadn't spent a lot of time with Stiles over the summer, and it could be that all the hard work at the house had mellowed him somewhat. Regardless of that, he had to admit that Derek seemed to have a positive impact on Stiles.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Scott had borrowed Dr Deaton's truck to move furniture. They weren't going to move in right now, but little by little the house started to look like a home. They'd practically emptied the loft. Derek wasn't too keen on keeping the old couch, but for the time being it'd have to do.

The old table they found in the Argent's basement got painted white, and it fit perfectly in the kitchen. It wasn't big enough for a dinner party, but he and Derek were going to pick up a brand-new table and chairs for the dining room. It was big enough to fit ten people.

During the week, they had all been around looking for old things they could use. Thrift shops were visited and friends were asked, and at the moment, Scott had a truck full of all sorts of nicknacks: Several pictures and paintings, a little shelf for the hall and a multitude of throw rugs and lamps. There were also a few things for the kitchen that Alex had picked out.

Lydia's parents had invited them over to check out their basement, and it turned out to be a goldmine. The Martins had told hem that they could take whatever they wanted, and when Derek tried to pay them, they'd just laughed it off.

The bookshelf and the big wardrobe had to wait until they had another vehicle. Deaton's truck wasn't big enough, but Scott and Derek were going there later to pick up as much as they could of the other things they'd found there.

Derek could possibly have furnished the house with only brand new things; they all knew he had the money, but there had been consensus among the others to not let him do that. They wanted to put their own mark on it, and with limited funds, second hand was the only way to go.

It was nice having this chore. It took a lot of time and Scott was happy to be kept busy with it. Every waking moment he thought about the baby growing in Allison's belly; their baby. As soon as he slowed down, worries about the future was threatening to take over.

Part of him was extremely happy about it, but he couldn't help thinking about the poor timing. He would become a father before High-school was over, and he could see the plans for further education flying out the window.

He would have to get a steady job in order to provide for his little family, and even if they had cheap living quarters – Derek would not accept any rent – there would still be expenses connected with having a baby that he couldn't expect anyone else to pay for.

Allison was the smart one. Scott felt that it would be better if she could pursue a college degree. Being a kept man wasn't in his plans for the future either, but he had to face the facts and be realistic.

When he came to the house, Chris met him in the front yard to help him unload the truck. Scott wondered how this man would deal with the fact that he was going to become a grandfather. Allison hadn't told him yet, and Scott feared the worst. That his mom knew already was another issue. He'd avoided her for the last couple of days, and as far as he could tell from the short messages on the phone, she didn't know that Allison had told him about the pregnancy.

It couldn't be easy for her either, and it scared him to have to talk to her about it. The birthday dinner that he'd looked forward to since he and Stiles agreed on doing it this way, didn't seem so appealing anymore.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

They had added a couple more guests. They couldn't just not invite Chris; he'd been working on the house more than anyone else, and it would be rude not to include him. Lydia and Allison were back to being BFFs, so it was natural to invite her also.

A few hints from Alex about making this an even bigger event got turned down. Both Stiles and Scott was adamant about keeping it small. Scott had even suggested that they'd cancel the whole thing; he was extremely worried that someone would slip up and reveal the little secret that was growing inside Allison's uterus.

Knowing that almost all the attendees were informed already made it a legitimate concern, but Stiles had managed to calm him down. Allison had called Melissa to make sure that she'd keep a straight face, and Lydia had also promised to pretend that she was clueless.

Alex was sure that it would work out. The only person he didn't fully trust was himself, so he decided to try to avoid getting into a conversation with anybody.

He was a little disappointed that they wouldn't be able to show Scott and Allison the nursery tonight, but the time would come. In the Martin's basement Derek had found an old crib, and with Lydia's help they had managed to get it to the house secretly. During the night, Isaac had fixed it up and painted it before they moved it into the room.

Stiles had offered to help him with the food, and even if he thought it wouldn't be fair to the birthday boy, Alex had excepted. The hopes of opening his own little restaurant sometime in the future seemed less like a pipe-dream when Stiles showed so much interest in this.

He knew that Derek would give Stiles anything he wanted, and if Alex could get Stiles excited about the concept, it could happen. He felt bad for having these thoughts. Going behind Derek's back in this conniving way didn't sit well with him. He wanted to be honest and sincere now. Life on the streets was over, and he didn't have to pretend anymore.

He decided to come clean about it shortly, but until they were in the house living like a family, he didn't really believe his own luck. He'd never thought he'd find true love. He'd never thought that he would ever see his mother again either, but that was also about to happen.

That he had a sister had still not sunk in properly, but as days went by, he'd learned to embrace that too. Maybe he'd never get to know her, but the resentment he felt towards her in the beginning had vanished. She was just an innocent pawn in whatever game her parents had played.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Everything was set, and Stiles was excited. He'd volunteered to help out with the food to avoid having to deal with the furniture. During the hours he spent with Alex in the kitchen, he'd gotten a real feel for it though. He didn't see himself as chef-material, but it was fun working with Alex.

He knew that the guy had a dream about opening a restaurant. 'A little Italian place', if Stiles didn't remember it incorrectly. With the skills he had, it didn't seem impossible, even if Alex himself kept saying that his cooking wasn't restaurant quality.

He'd need funding of course, and possibly somebody who had business-school, but Stiles could actually see it happen sometime in the future.

As he tried his best to follow Alex' instructions, his thoughts drifted towards Allison and Scott. There was nothing shocking about teen-pregnancies; Allison wasn't the first in their school, but this hit extremely close to home.

Stiles had never really thought about what happened with the couple of girls he'd heard rumors about before. He didn't know them, but his own take on it had been that they were careless. He felt bad for it now. Those girls hadn't done it alone. The guys they'd been with never got targeted, even if they too had to have been equally careless.

That his friends had gotten themselves into this situation was surprising. Stiles knew that they took precautions; Scott had told him that. When they got back together after the little hiatus this spring, Allison had started on the pill, but something must have gone wrong. Stiles was pretty sure that they hadn't done it on purpose.

Part of him was excited about it, but he wondered how their life would be with a baby in the house. Allison's and Scott's plans for the future would definitely change. It would possibly impact the rest of them also, but not in the same way.

Indulged in his own thoughts, he suddenly got a hard rap on his shoulder. "Don't forget to stir, and please turn down the heat. It's boiling too hard." Alex shook his head and sighed. "It'll be okay. You were far away for a moment, weren't you?"

-o-o-o-o-o-

Mr Stilinski came to the dinner-party with news about Alex mom. There wasn't going to be a trial. Her state appointed defense lawyer had gone out on a limb for her, and managed to turn the murder charge into voluntary manslaughter.

That she'd done it to save her own daughter was the main factor, but she'd also showed remorse and been very forthcoming during the interviews. She received a ten year sentence, and had been transferred to another prison where she would serve her time.

He offered to come with Alex to visit her; he'd already sent in the paperwork, and they could go there as soon as next week. He'd also made some inquiries into his sister's whereabouts, and through different contacts, he'd managed to organize a meeting with her also.

Allison was extremely happy about the news. Not so much for Alex' sake, but this meant that they'd have something to talk about during dinner that didn't involve her and Scott. She felt instantly bad for thinking like that, but after a short conversation with Alex, she discovered that he shared her point of view. He'd been worried that he wouldn't be able to keep his mouth shut, so this was a gift for him as well.

That he wasn't sure what to do about it, was another issue, but Allison tried to encourage him to go through with both meetings.

Her worries weren't completely stilled by this, but it turned out that she didn't have anything to worry about. Everybody managed to shy away from any 'dangerous' subjects, and her dad left the party just as clueless as he was before. He'd excused himself before dessert, because he had a late business meeting.

Allison didn't completely relax; Mr Stilinski didn't need to know either, so she hoped that everybody would still avoid mentioning anything.

As Lydia helped Alex and Isaac clear the table, Melissa came over. "Did you tell him yet?" She whispered as she threw a quick peek at Scott. Allison nodded. "They all know. I decided, uh, we decided that they deserved to know."

Melissa sighed. "Good. So everybody here is informed. Good." She was about to walk over to Scott, but Allison stopped her. "Mr Stilinski, he..." She didn't continue. Melissa grabbed both her hands and looked into her eyes. "I'm sorry, but I had to... I needed someone to confide in, so I told him over dinner the other day."

Allison shifted her gaze between the two adults. It really didn't bother her much that Stiles' dad knew; she was more curious about how it happened. "Dinner? When did the two of you start having dinner together?" The blush on Melissa's face told her that she wasn't the only one who'd been carrying a secret. "Good for you. I won't say anything." She smiled and gave Melissa a wink just as Derek came over.

"We have a surprise for you. I mean, eh, Isaac and Alex have." He grabbed Allison's hand and puller her towards the stairs. "Scott! Come on." He gestured for Scott to follow. Isaac and Alex was standing half way up already and seemed a little impatient.

As soon ass they were all upstairs, Isaac presented a key, and stuck it in the lock of the room next to hers and Scott's. "Ta-da!" He flung the door open and stepped aside letting them look into the room. What she saw brought tears to her eyes, and as she stepped inside, it all became very real.

The fetus inside her wasn't really a person yet, but staring at the crib and the white clouds on the walls, it suddenly hit her. In a few months time they'd have a baby. A little person that would depend on them for everything. A live, breathing human being who'd eventually sleep in this room, staring at those same clouds.

Allison could hear the chatter behind her, and she could feel Scott's hand in hers, but the emotions that ran though her canceled out everything else. She started crying. She didn't know if it was happy tears or not, but it felt good to just let go. It was probably about time.

Scott wrapped his arms around her, and she put her head on his shoulder. It didn't take long before she felt other hands caressing her and soon, she was the center of group hug. Others were sniffling a little also, and it threatened to be too much for her to handle, but then most of them let go and left the room.

With Scott's arm over her shoulder they walked over to the crib. It was empty; there wasn't even a mattress in there, but it didn't matter. Scott sighed heavily and threw a quick peek at her. "It's scary, isn't it?" He drew his breath again. "But you know, with friends like this, we can handle anything."


	80. Chapter 80

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex and Mr Stilinski venture out on a road-trip that could possibly change Alex' life. It's Almost a week after the birthday party, and Derek has still not given Stiles the real gift, but it's time. The night before, Stiles and his dad have gone through his old room. An old memory changes Stiles' view on himself. Alex meets family, and it's both good and bad. Derek brings Stiles to the loft for some one-on-one time.

The processing time for being allowed to visit a prisoner, was normally much longer. Mr Stilinski's position and his long list of acquaintances in the police, prison, and the court system had decreased that time significantly.

Without Alex' knowledge he'd contacted the warden – a former classmate from the police academy – to make sure that Sonya actually wanted to see her son.

Pulling strings in all directions, filling out forms on Alex' behalf, and spending countless hours on the phone had finally payed off. The only thing Alex had to do to be able to meet his mother was to provide his signature and a valid ID.

Locating and arranging a meeting with his sister had been a tad easier, but there were a few hitches there as well. The girl knew that she had a brother, but she seemed to believe that he was dead. Mr Stilinski also didn't know if Alex actually wanted to see her, so the inquiries had been a little conditioned by that.

Another little tug of war was fought before the case worker agreed to let Mr Stilinski and Alex meet the little girl. It would happen in a park, and the girl was not going to be told beforehand. Alex got thorough instructions on how to behave when they met her, an he was perfectly fine with keeping his identity hidden. They still didn't know if he could actually have a relationship with her.

It was a strange and unusual road trip they ventured out on. Mr Stilinski didn't really know Alex that well, but he seemed like a nice fellow. Spending so much time with him alone could still be a challenge.

It turned out to be an unnecessary worry. There was no awkward silence. Alex was very open an honest about himself, and most of the almost four hour drive to their first stop, he'd kept the conversation going. He wasn't ranting or anything. In between the little tidbits he shared, he was quiet for a while, or he just hummed quietly to an occasional song on the radio. He also answered Mr Stilinski's few questions, and sometimes he threw in a joke or two.

He was clearly a little nervous, but he managed to keep himself composed the whole way.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Derek was still a little embarrassed about the gift. He'd made plans for something totally different, and up to the last minute before the dinner party, he'd had been quite determined. As the guests arrived, he realized that he had to postpone that. He wanted to be alone with Stiles for that specific present. He was happy that he had something else lined up, and decided to wait until they had moved in.

Even if Stiles seemed happy about the new game-console and the couple of games to go with it, it sill felt like a cop-out. With Mr Stilinski and Chris' help, he'd created a kind of game-room upstairs. The hall widened out between the two biggest bedrooms where they had initially planned to have a sort of library. It was still doable, but Derek thought it would be nice to have a place to play video-games.

Chris had built a shelf to fit the TV and all the games. Derek had smuggled the old consoles and the rest of the gaming gear over from the loft, and set it up. Stiles' dad had been asking about what to get his son; there was no wish-list, and was happy when Derek suggested a TV for gaming.

It was a tough sell after they had showed Scott and Allison the nursery; everybody got quite emotional, and it took a while before Stiles was even interested in opening any of his presents.

As the soon-to-be parents eventually came downstairs, Alex had saved the day by putting out snack-foods and served umbrella drinks. "No alcohol for the mama." He handed Allison a drink. "Just a virgin Margarita for you."

Scott was still a little out of it, and didn't really manage to show much enjoyment for his gifts. He'd already got a few on his actual birthday, so there weren't so many for him there; everybody seemed to understand that he had other things on his mind.

It was clear that Stiles had expected something else from Derek, but he was excited and wanted to try it all out immediately. When everybody approved, he managed to get Scott and Isaac with him to play. The rest of the party watched for a little while, but then they'd retracted downstairs again.

All in all, it had been a nice party. The food was excellent – as usual – and everybody was satisfied, except for Derek.

Ever since then, Derek had had this creepy feeling of not measuring up. There had not been any mention of it; it wasn't like the others knew what went on in his mind, but there was something intangible in the atmosphere.

The last few days, they had all been busy moving in furniture; decorating the house, and working on a few details here and there to complete it. Alex had pulled out the sewing machine to hem some curtains, but had to abandon it for a couple of days to go visit his mom. Everybody was of course extremely curious about how that would go, but the move kept them occupied.

School would start next week, and they wanted to be settled by then. Attempting to enroll Alex had not gone so well; he had never attended high-school, and would need some kind of assessment test before he could start. Dr Deaton's sister worked part time as a guidance counselor, and promised to look into it.

Trying to keep himself busy with all these things, Derek managed to push all the negative thoughts away for a while. It worked only partially, but Allison was the only one who'd picked up on it. She'd pulled him aside at one point and asked him how he was doing. He didn't really want to tell her; it was just too hard to put into words.

"Just show them that you can be a leader. I'll back you up." She'd patted his back and given him a smile before she walked away again. Without him saying a word she'd guessed what he was struggling with, and he knew she was right.

He had to step up and show them that he wasn't afraid of the commitment it entailed to be a strong leader. He had to be bolder and braver than ever before; he had to put his heart on the line.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Stiles looked forward to a calm and quiet evening. He'd spent last night with his dad, packing up his room at the Stilinski house. Most of the furniture would still be there, but he needed the rest of his clothes and a few other private belongings.

It had been nice. His dad had taken all this quite well, and they'd had actually had fun digging through the stuff. Memorabilia from his childhood came to light, and some of it had been somewhat embarrassing.

A little notebook from first grade with love poems dedicated to Lydia gave them both a good laugh. The calendar from 2007 with half naked male models was not as fun to find with his dad hovering over him. He'd totally forgotten about it, but as soon as he saw it, the memory of how and why he acquired it came back.

He'd been at a friend's house to do homework, and while snooping around in the living room alone, he'd found it in the bottom of a pile of magazines. The friend – Aaron or something like that – had an older sister, and it belonged to her. It was obviously a present. On the front page someone had written: 'Happy birthday, Angelica.'

Stiles had gotten a strange feeling as he looked at the pictures. When Aaron came back he'd hurried to stuff it in his backpack, so his friend wouldn't catch him with it. He'd never intended to steal it, but he didn't get a chance to put it back.

He'd flipped through it a few times, but guilt and embarrassment had forced him to hide in the back of his closet for years.

In hindsight, Stiles realized that if he'd been more perceptive of his own feelings back then, a lot of questions would have been answered. It wasn't until Derek showed up that those same reactions came back. When he hid that calendar never to look at it again, he'd tucked away his gayness at the same time.

Today, his dad had left to go with Alex. They wouldn't be back until tomorrow, and in the meantime, the rest of the housemates tried to make the new house a home. Derek had rented a U-haul to get the rest of the furniture, and in Alex' absence, Melissa had volunteered to come over to cook for them.

Isaac and Alex' room was done already, so Isaac helped Allison and Scott, while Stiles fixed up his and Derek's room.

He ripped he front page off the calendar before he pinned it to the wall. He wasn't quite sure if Derek would like it, but for Stiles, it was a memento worth keeping. Not so much for the picture per se, but for him, it was a reminder that he wasn't only gay for Derek. It was a token to show himself – and everybody else for that matter – that he'd always been like this, and that he was finally living it out in the open.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

The meeting with his mom had not been particularly pleasant. Alex had tried to go in there with an open mind, but anger took over when he sat down in front of the glass wall. He wanted to know how she could just literally abandon him; leaving him to his own fate.

Unable to come up with a good answer, she'd kept apologizing, but Alex wasn't interested in that. He wanted explanations.

"I wanted you to come back, but he... he was nicer. He didn't hit me anymore after you left, and then I got pregnant." She'd cried and tried to make her actions – or lack thereof – excusable, but Alex didn't fall for it. "You could have left him." He remembered their conversations and text messages on the phone shortly after he'd taken off. "You could have chosen me."

Alex hadn't been aware of the fact that his mom got an occasional beating from the guy also, but it didn't change much. "I'm your son. I'm your own flesh and blood." He'd pretty much given up on her when she changed the subject. "Take care of your sister. When I learned that you were still alive and in a good home, I signed over custody to you. Be a better parent that I am."

Alex had been a bit taken aback by the statement, but he never got a chance address it. She'd waved at the officer standing behind her, and got up from the chair. "I have no excuse, but Alessa can have a better life." She was gone before Alex got his senses back, and he exited the room with another set of disturbing thoughts on his mind.

"Alessa!" His sisters name hadn't been mentioned in any of the papers he got from Mr Stilinski. Alessa was a short form of Alessandra – or Alexandra – and Alex realized that she could have been named after him. It didn't change his feelings towards his mother, but he got a new view on the girl.

If he was right, if she'd actually had been named after him, she'd lived in his shadow her whole life. That their mom chose this name for her, told him that he was never really forgotten, and that this little innocent girl carried the burden of her mothers love for her – believed to be dead – brother with her.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Derek was twirling the tumbler in his hand. The whiskey tasted good after a hard days work. Stiles, Scott, and Isaac were upstairs playing games, and Allison was in the kitchen with Mrs McCall.

The living room still looked kind of barren. The new dining table and old couch didn't fill the room. For Derek it was fine; he liked the open space, and would fight tooth and nail to keep it. The TV was placed in the nook under the stairs, and he had the stereo-system within reach. He knew that they had to get a bigger couch, but there would still be plenty of room in there.

Dave and Mouth would come tomorrow to fix a few minor things, but all in all, the house were done. This was the first night for them all living together, and it was a little sad that Alex was missing for the event.

What a weird and twisted gang they were. Derek and Isaac didn't have any parents; Stiles and Allison had lost their mothers; Scott was from a broken home, and had barely seen his father in years; Alex – with an incarcerated mother and a dad he'd never met – was pretty much an orphan.

Derek was still perfectly sure that it would work out nicely. The only thing lacking now was a committed pack-leader. He could feel in his bones that Allison was just that, and she'd told him that she'd act as such until his time came.

There were no guaranties that his plan would work out, but Derek had done his research. His temporary weakness was obviously due to the fact that he'd failed to make any promises. His fear of commitment had struck him down before, but he was ready to make amends.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Scott walked away from the game, and looked into the nursery. He was going to become a dad, and he had no idea how to deal with it.

He knew that Allison's worries probably superseded his own – she was actually carrying the baby – but it didn't prevent him from freaking out a little bit on his own.

He'd never really wanted to join a pack; he didn't feel it necessary, but he got drawn into it by invisible forces. It felt right though. The bond they shared was very comforting. He knew that even if this baby was his and Allison's, he could always count on the others to be there for them. They were a family in a deeper sense of the word.

It wasn't that he'd never felt it before. He and his mom were very close, and the bond they shared were unbreakable. It was still very different, but Scott knew that his new family would be there for him for eternity.

That Stiles was one of them had a lot to do with it. He knew that his best friend didn't want the bite, but when it happened, it was really a blessing. Before that, they hadn't been a real pack; just soon to be housemates.

Scott knew that it had everything to do with Allison stepping up, but she'd recently told him that she didn't want to be a leader.

-o-o-

Their first night together in their new home and Derek wanted to take him away. Stiles was pretty much ready for bed when Derek asked him to come with him. Allison and Scott had turned in early, pretty excited about their new digs, and their own private bathroom.

Stiles had heard them whisper as he passed their room, and he wondered a little about the soundproofing until he discovered that the door wasn't completely closed. He gave it a quick knock and waited a few seconds.

Scott was all smiles when he opened it. Allison was sitting in bed behind him with a book in her lap. "I just, uh, the door wasn't closed." Stiles felt a little embarrassed disturbing their privacy, but Scott just laughed and stepped aside for Stiles to enter. "I was just on my way downstairs to get a couple of glasses. Did you check out our room?"

There was no need for him to see it right now. "It's nice, but you can show me in the morning." He waved to Allison. "Goodnight, hope you'll sleep well."

Isaac was sitting in the living room watching TV with Peri on his lap. He looked rather lonely in the corner of the couch, and Stiles felt sorry for him. "Alex will be back in the morning. Hang in there buddy." Isaac shook his head and smiled. "It's okay. I miss him, but absence makes the heart grow fonder. I'm completely fine." He lifted his hand with the phone. "He's right here if I need him."

That's when Derek came and told Stiles to put shoes on. "We're going on a little ride. You don't need to get dressed."

He'd been curious, but he put his bare feet in the sneakers and followed Derek to the Camaro. With only pajama pants and a T-shirt on, he hoped that Derek wouldn't take him anywhere public.

When they came to the loft, Stiles got even more curious. "What the hell are we doing here. We can't spend the night, there is no furniture left up there." He still stepped out of the car and walked over to the front door. Derek was right behind him. "We're not going to spend the night. I just wanted a last look at the place."

If the apartment had looked like a warehouse before, it seemed more so now. The few things they didn't bring with them were piled up by the wall; the only light was the glow from the lamp above the oven, and that made it look even more gloomy.

"Danny asked if he could rent it." Derek grabbed Stiles' hand and pulled him toward the window. "I thought about selling it, but... maybe I'll wait." In the light from a waning moon, they stared out on the rooftops. "Did you like your present?"

Stiles found this extremely weird, and he looked at his boyfriend. "Yeah, I told you. I loved it." He shook his head. "Is this some kind of goodbye? Goodbye Loft! We had fun here, but now we're leaving." Stiles chuckled a little as he uttered the words. Then he turned to Derek. "Seriously?!"

It took a little while before Derek said anything, but then he turned to Stiles again and put a hand on his shoulder. "You know that this... what we have is for life, right? He removed the hand and looked down, but didn't wait for Stiles to say anything. "The bond we share will keep us together forever." Derek swallowed, and Stiles rolled his eyes. Derek was going to explain why there never had to be any sappy promises and proclamation of undying love. Werewolves mated for life, and that was it.

"This bond is created from us being werewolves, but we still have our humanity. We can strengthen this bond even more." Stiles noticed that Derek kept staring at his own hand. He rarely ever wore any jewelery, but now there was a ring on his finger. Derek kept turning it. It looked like it was made of silver and it had a square black stone with a mother-of-pearl inlay showing the triskelion.

"We are family now, and you, uh, are... I mean, you can become a Hale." He pulled the ring of his finger and grabbed Stiles' hand. "I don't know if it will fit." It didn't fit, it was a tad to big for the ring-finger anyway, so Stiles switched it over to the middle finger instead. "It can be taken in, right?" He noticed a tremble in his own voice, and he looked at the ring more closely before he felt composed enough to say anything else.

Derek was just standing there, and finally Stiles lifted his head and met Derek's eyes. "Is this... is this some kind of proposal?" It could sound like it if one had a bit of imagination, and Stiles had plenty. Derek shrugged and emitted a small chuckle. "I guess it is." Then he sighed heavily before he straightened himself up and gave Stiles a crocked smile. "Yes, it is. It is a proposal, and I want an answer."


	81. Chapter 81

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex and Mr Stilinski spend the night away from Beacon Hills. Stiles is a little tongue-tied, but Derek eventually gets his answer. Allison and Melissa have a bonding moment. Stiles gives Derek a little treat before they go to sleep. Mr Stilinski can easily see the family resemblance when Alex meets his sister for the first time. Stiles and Derek share a little sexy-time in the morning.

After leaving the prison, they drove into town. They didn't talk much on the way; Alex couldn't come up with anything to say, and Mr Stilinski didn't try to engage him in any conversation. Alex had given him a brief recap of what happened, but didn't want to discuss it right now, and the man seemed to understand.

They parked outside the police station, and without asking, Stiles' dad ran over to a street vendor to get some coffee for them before they went inside. Alex kept himself in the background as Stiles' dad was greeted by a heavy set officer. Mr Stilinski obviously had a lot of friends and acquaintances all over the place.

Even if the meeting with his mother had been short, the whole thing had taken its time. Since it wasn't a regular visit – Mr Stilinski had managed to arrange it through his friendship with the warden – a lot of papers had to be filled out at the spot. When that was done, they had to wait for more than an hour before he finally could get in.

To get to Alessa, they had to drive another few miles, and without knowing how long the prison visit would take, that meeting was planned for the next day. Mr Stilinski had suggested that they should spend the night in town; driving back home didn't make sense. It would have been three or four hours in the car; a quick nap in his own bed before he would have to get up by the crack of dawn to go sit in the car for another almost five hours on the road.

Derek had given him some money in case they were going to spend the night at a motel, but Mr Stilinski had organized private accommodations. His friend at the precinct was almost done with his shift, and after a short wait they followed him to his house.

The officer and his wife seemed like nice people. They were informed about the reason for Alex being there; it was obviously not the first time they had taken in someone who was in town to visit inmates.

Mr Stilinski and officer Peterson were soon engaged in a conversation about old times, while Mrs Peterson took care of Alex. It could have been awkward, but this woman was so sweet, and she managed to make him feel like he was an old friend of the family.

After all four of them had shared a light meal – which Alex had helped making – she'd showed him to his sleeping quarters. Their daughter had left for college, and Alex was going to spend the night in her room. It was kind of late, and even if Alex had enjoyed hanging with Mrs Peterson, he decided to turn in.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

A thin layer of mist covered the moon somewhat, making it a little fuzzy around the edges, and the access water in Stiles' eyes made it even more blurry. He'd been staring out the window for several minutes, unable to form a coherent sentence. Not putting socks on was a bad idea. Stiles' bare feet were clammy inside the sneakers, and he felt an urge to kick them off.

He'd wanted pomp and circumstance; he'd wanted a proposal in a romantic setting with champagne and confetti. Standing there in the practically empty loft in pajama pants and with sweaty feet, wasn't quite how he'd imagined it to be. Truth be told, he hadn't really expected anything, but one could always dream.

That dream was now shattered into little pieces, but as he stood there rubbing the ring – that was on the wrong finger – he realized that it wouldn't have felt right. Derek wasn't that kind of person. He wasn't a sappy romantic, and arranging a proposal to fit Stiles' imagination, wouldn't have suited him.

Thinking about it, he found out that this was the perfect setting. He knew that it wasn't just a spur of the moment thing for Derek. He'd planned the location and the time. Even Stiles' slightly inappropriate clothing was probably part of the deal. This was them. This was where they had fallen in love and – except for the sweaty feet – this was Stiles' preferred clothing style when they cuddled up together on the couch in those moments when they just enjoyed being together without having to say anything.

A nudge on his shoulder brought him back. "So? What do you say?" He was so far into his own thoughts that he'd totally forgotten that there were a question hidden in Derek's clumsy performance. That he didn't actually ask didn't matter, this still required an answer. It was no secret that they both knew what that answer would be, but Derek obviously wanted Stiles to say it.

"Yes! Yes of course silly man. I would marry you tomorrow if it was possible." Stiles dived into Derek's open arms and sniffled a little against his shirt. "I take that back. Not tomorrow. I need at least a day to plan it." They both knew that it was just a joke. Stiles was not prepared to elope, and Derek had to be aware of that.

"How about next summer? I'm sure Alex will be eager to help you plan it." Derek stroke his back as he whispered the words into his ear. Stiles nodded against his chest. "Yeah. I think that is a better plan."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Allison woke up early. She'd learned that the morning sickness could be managed by eating something before she got out of bed, so she'd placed a box of Saltines on the nightstand. The glass of water Scott had provided before he came to bed last night, came in handy as she chewed the dry crackers.

It did work somewhat. When she snuck out of bed to use the toilet, she felt better than the previous mornings. The cure wasn't completely foolproof, but at least she didn't puke.

She looked down at her belly. The pregnancy was starting to show, although most people wouldn't be able to see it. The little bulge was easily covered up by something as simple as a T-shirt. At the moment it just looked like she'd had a big meal. She stroke the skin on her stomach and wondered when she would actually feel life in there.

It hadn't been easy meeting Scott's mom again yesterday. At the dinner party it had been okay; she'd made sure that they didn't have a moment alone, but last night it was different. Derek had wandered off, and the rest of the boys played video-games, so she was kind of stuck with Melissa.

Allison hadn't felt that it was appropriate to let her clean up after the meal by herself, so she decided to face her fears and join the woman in the kitchen.

After a short period of silence, while Allison filled the dishwasher, Melissa had suddenly come over and hugged her. It felt a little clumsy and awkward to begin with, but then Allison wrapped her arms around the woman. It was a little emotional and she shed a couple of tears.

"It's okay." Melissa's voice was soothing. "It was not what I would have wanted for my son, but it is what it is." She pulled back and looked at Allison. "I've come to terms with it. I'm starting to get used to the thought of becoming a grandmother."

At that moment, Allison felt a bond with her. The two of them were family now, and she felt that Melissa could be a good stand-in for a mother. "Thank you. I'm not sure that I've come to terms with it myself, but this helps."

The open and frank conversation the two of them had after that changed a lot. Allison got answers to questions that she hadn't dared ask anybody else, and with her medical experience, Melissa was able to give her insights that none of her friends could have provided.

Allison had used the internet for what it was worth, but every case was different and she didn't feel that it provided her with the information she wanted.

"You'll have to go to your doctor." Melissa had stated the obvious, but Allison didn't have the funds for all the prenatal visits. She knew she was covered under her dad's insurance, but she feared that the family practitioner would tell him. She would of course have to inform him eventually, but she wanted to postpone that.

A new set of fears entered her mind. This would be very costly, and even if both she and Scott made some money on the side, it would still not be enough to cover the bills. She couldn't expect Derek to step up; he was already letting them live there for free, and this was not his responsibility.

"I can come with you and tell him if you want?" Melissa cocked her head and looked at Allison curiously. "I don't want you to take this the wrong way, but I think it's better with me there, rather than Scott."

Allison did not take it the wrong way. She knew perfectly well that what Melissa said made sense. "Yeah, would you?" She had to swallow hard before she could continue. "I just have to find the right time." Melissa shook her head. "There's never a right time, uh, or wrong time for this. I think you should just get it over with."

-o-o-o-o-o-

Derek had expected Stiles to be overexcited and have a hard time keeping the news to himself, but he was curiously quiet when they came back to the house. That everybody else probably were fast asleep by now could of course have something to do with it.

It was kind of weird though, how he just went upstairs immediately after arriving, without even wanting a small drink to celebrate the occasion. Derek was technically fine with it; he was not much for announcing everything, but he did wonder about Stiles' behavior.

He poured himself a good inch of whiskey and toasted to himself in the mirror. "Good job, Derek. You finally managed to do it." He was whispering, or really only almost mouthing the words. After chugging down the drink he decided to call it a night as well.

Stiles was in bed already when he entered the room. He wasn't sleeping; he was playing with the ring, but looked up when Derek came in. "Finally! I felt so lonely. I'm sorry that I left, but I'm tired." His eyes followed Derek as he went in to the bathroom. "Hurry up in there. The bed's too big without you."

With the toothbrush in hand Derek couldn't help himself. "Cold wind blows right though my open door." He could hear Stiles emitting a 'huh' and Derek chuckled silently. "Oh, it's just an old song lyric. I don't even remember who sings it."

When he eventually crawled into bed, he scooted over until their bodies were flush together. Stiles was warm and naked, and clearly semi-aroused. "You want to sleep right now, or..." He kissed Stiles' neck before he let his lips brush over the skin of his shoulder. Stiles moved his pelvis forward and Derek could feel his dick twitch against his own.

"I think maybe... Let's take our time." Stiles lifted himself up a little and pushed Derek over on his back. Then he started to pepper his chest with kisses before he moved his head down until he completely disappeared under the covers.

Derek drew his breath heavily and relaxed into the mattress. Taking it slow sounded good. Especially when Stiles decided to give him this kind of treatment.

-o-o-o-o-o-

He recognized her the moment they came to the park. The little girl was playing on the monkey-bars in the little play area. Her long dark hair was probably supposed to be in a ponytail, but the scrunchy had almost fallen out and wild curls was sticking out everywhere. She was obviously small for her age, but extremely agile; she looked a little like a gymnast the way she handled herself over there.

When they got a little closer, she must have noticed that he was staring, because she stopped what she was doing and looked right at them. Mr Stilinski recognized those eyes. He had a set of the same eyes next to him. As he turned briefly to check if Alex had noticed this, the guy hitched his breath and stopped short.

"That must be her, right? She has my mom's eyes." There was a slight tremble in Alex' voice; Mr Stilinski looked at him and shook his head. "Your mom's? That little girl looks just like you." He threw a quick peek at her again. "If you were six, I'm sure it would be almost like looking at yourself in a mirror. Except for the dress."

Alex cocked his head and looked at Mr Stilinski from the corner of his eye. "Oh, I sometimes wore a dress, but my hair wasn't that long." There was a little smile on his face, but it was perfectly clear that he was struggling to keep his emotions in check.

The girl wasn't staring at them anymore. She'd turned around and was running towards a picnic table on the other side of the play area, where a big African-American woman was sitting. It was obviously the social worker. When the girl pointed at them, she got up and grabbed Alessa's hand before they both came towards them.

"Officer Stilinski, I presume?" The woman shook his hand and presented herself. "Shantaya Jones, and this is Alessa." She turned to Alex. "Alexander, was it? Nice to meet you." Alex reached his hand out for her, but his eyes were focused on the girl. "Alex, hmpf, Alex is fine."

Alessa smiled as she looked at Alex. "You're pretty, and your name is almost the same as mine." Mr Stilinski could see that tears welled up in Alex' eyes. The girl cocked her head. "Why are you crying? Men don't cry."

They walked together back to the picnic-table and sat down. Mr Stilinski worried that it could be hard to carry a conversation under the circumstances, but it turned out that he had nothing to fear. Alessa was a talkative little girl and she showed no shyness. The two siblings were so much alike, although Alex was a little tongue-tied at the moment.

After briefing them on what she'd done so far today, Alessa started talking about her family. "My dad died in his sleep. My mom said it was because he was a bad man." She seemed to give it a little bit of a thought before she continued. "I'm sometimes bad too, so I try not to sleep so much."

Mr Stilinski couldn't help himself. "You seem so nice. You can't be that bad." A six year old with that perception on herself was sad. "Papa had to punish me sometimes because I broke things. I didn't want to. My mom says I'm so clumsy."

They had already seen her on the monkey-bars; clumsy was not a word Stilinski would have used to describe her. Alex hadn't said a single word since they sat down, but then he cleared his throat. "Kids are sometimes clumsy. It doesn't make you bad. I was clumsy too, but now I don't break things anymore."

Alessa stared at him for a few seconds before she suddenly changed he subject. "I want a puppy." She pointed to a couple walking their dog. "Not a big one like that." Alex wiped his eyes quickly. "I have a puppy. You want to see a picture." He dug out his phone as he looked at his sister. Her eyes widened and bright smile appeared on her face. "Is it cute?"

She moved over to Alex' side of the table to look at screen. "Oh, he is. Oh, so so cute. Can I meet him? What's his name? Who's that?" She pointed at the picture of Isaac holding up Peri for the camera. Alex obviously had a hard time keeping composed, and he drew his breath quickly. He threw a peek at Ms Jones before he spoke. "Periwinkle, his name is Periwinkle, and I would love to introduce you to him." He drew his breath quickly. "And that's Isaac, my, uh..." He paused. Alessa didn't question it anymore, she was more interested in pictures of the dog.

The meeting was over too soon. Ms Jones was on a schedule and had to bring Alessa back to her temporary foster family. While the two siblings looked through the rest of the pictures on Alex' phone, she pulled Mr Stilinski aside. "They are in a hurry to find her a permanent place. Alexander is the only relative they have managed to dig up so far, but I'm not sure he's up for the task."

Mr Stilinski didn't know what to say. He didn't know Alex well enough to have an opinion, and with Alex' current living situation, the other members of the household would be assessed as well. "Is it possible to move her to a family closer to Beacon Hills? I know that another temporary home isn't the best solution, but if she could go to school there..."

Ms Jones shrugged. "I don't know, but I understand what you mean. I'll file my report, and I will add your view." She looked over at the table where Alex and Alessa were sitting. "Time is of the essence here. If we can't find her a home within two weeks, she'll go to an orphanage."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

They didn't fuck last night. The blow-job Stiles performed on Derek took its time; he'd wanted it to be awesome, and according to Derek it had been just that. After cleaning up somewhat they'd found the the lube, but it ended up under the pillow and then they just fell asleep in each others arms, tired after the day's events.

It was early morning now. He peeked at Derek who was lying next to him with an arm under his head staring into the air. "Slept well?" Stiles scooted over and kissed the stubbled chin as Derek nodded. "Uh-huh." He was still staring in to the ceiling, but then he turned and smiled. "Like a baby."

Stiles looked at him curiously. "You were a little distant for a moment. What are you thinking about`?" He slipped his hand down under the covers and caressed Derek's chest. As he kept staring into Derek's eyes he eased his hand downward. Derek sighed and turned to face him. "You! I'm thinking about you."

The house was quiet. There were no indications to show that anyone else were awake. Stiles let his fingers wrap around Derek's cock and he gave it a couple of tugs. "Hope it was nice thoughts." He let his thumb run over the slit and listened to the soft moan Derek emitted.

The lube was still under the pillow. Stiles dug it out and popped the bottle open with his thumb. "Just think about me some more. I'm gonna be a little busy now." He had to let go of Derek's dick for a second while he squirted out some lube. He wasn't going to bother with any prepping; pain wasn't an issue.

With nimble hands he coated Derek's member, earning a sound of surprise. "Oh, so you thought I was going to fuck you?" Stiles chuckled a little as he straddled Derek's torso. "Next time." He leaned forward and they kissed before he reached down behind him to grab Derek's dick.

Pushing himself up a bit, he aimed the dick at his own asshole. He had to go slow, it was a tight squeeze, but with patience and an ability to take the pain, he had eventually impaled himself.

After a little pause to come to terms with the burn, Stiles started to ride Derek slowly. It was hard work early in the morning, and he soon regretted this position. With a few describing gestures Stiles managed to make Derek understand, and they clung together as they rolled over.

With Derek on top it went much better. Stiles bent his knees and pulled on them until his legs were sticking up in the air.

Derek kept the same slow rhythm going for a while, but when they both started panting heavily he increased the speed until he cummed. Then he grabbed Stiles' cock and tugged on it until he came as well.

"Nice...I...love...you." Stiles heaved his breath as Derek rolled off of him. "That was a good start of the day, don't you think?" The towel from last night was on the floor and Derek grabbed it and wiped Stiles' stomach before he answered. "A very nice start."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is me wrapping up loose ends. There are still a few chapters left, but the last one is in the making as well. A year ago I knew how I wanted this to end for Stiles and Derek. An engagement was part of that. The other people involved, and especially Allison's fate, made it a little harder to reach my goal. I love all my characters, and I have to make sure that all their stories get a satisfactory ending also. Still, after all these twists and turns, I feel that my endgame (especially regarding Derek) have more depth than it would have had without them. Hang in there folks. The end is near.
> 
> If anybody is interested: the song lyrics Derek is reciting, is 'The bed's too big without you.' A song by the Police, Sting's old band, from 1979.


	82. Chapter 82

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The hustle and bustle of everyday life have them all a little wound up. Alex wants to go to school too, but he has to wait. Allison's pregnancy is not a secret anymore, and she has a meeting with the school nurse. Stiles makes plans to reveal the engagement in a big way, but it goes wrong. Derek is acting a little strange. Stiles doesn't know, but he can feel it. Alex sees something outside that he later believes was just... nothing.

School was back, and the new living arrangement provided some unforeseen problems. Four people getting ready at the same time caused a few involuntary crashes. The first couple of days were especially chaotic. Finding their bags and schools supplies after the move had them all running around like mindless chickens.

Alex had been sad to see them leave. He would have wanted to go with them, but he was still waiting for an answer from the guidance counselor.

For the first week he'd got up early and made breakfast for them, but he soon discovered that it was completely unnecessary. Allison got easily nauseous, and wanted only dry toast; Isaac wasn't much of a morning-eater in the first place, and packed up the food to go. Stiles and Scott had actually tried to sit down to eat, but didn't finish the meal before they had to run.

Alex decided to let it be. He still got up early, but the next week he'd just made a pile of sandwiches and packed them for everybody to grab on the go.

During the day, he and Derek kept busy with little chores around the house. Alex finished the curtains and with Derek's help, he hung them all up in the respective room where they belonged.

Alex wasn't really bored, but everyday life at the house became very monotone and predictable. It wasn't that he needed anything else really, but he got a little antsy at times. Derek also seemed to be struggling with this; Alex could sense it even if Derek did his best to hide his feelings.

At the end of the week, Alex finally received a call form Dr Deaton's sister. He could do the assessment test next week, and shortly after that, he would possibly be eligible to go to school. He was unable to contain the joy, but the look on Derek's face as he shared the good news, scared him a little.

It took almost two hours before he dared to address Derek again. He knew that he was in the attic working on the floor up there, and Alex called for him when he had lunch ready.

A grumpy man sat down at the table, and Alex new he had to proceed with caution. He waited until Derek had eaten half the food before he dared to bring up what he thought was the problem.

"Why don't you come with me?" He sighed and picked at his own food. Derek looked up abruptly. "Huh?" The stare was piercing. Alex cleared his throat. "You almost graduated. Why don't you come with me? We can do the test together."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

It took a little more than a week before the whole school knew about the pregnancy. A little mishap after homeroom on Monday had made a couple of girls in her class suspicious. Allison had to run to the restroom to avoid puking in the hall, and an attempt to explain it as a stomach flu didn't fly.

The news spread like wildfire. Lydia had made a futile attempt to snuff it out, but Allison knew it was too late.

When the word eventually reached the teachers and the rest of the staff, she got called in to the school nurse. She'd been very polite to begin with; asking if the rumors were true before she started ranting about teen pregnancies and the importance of an education.

Allison had soon cut her off. "I'm not going to have an abortion. I'm fine with this. I know it can screw up a few things; the timing sucks, but please." She could feel the claws coming out and she hid her hands under the table. The nurse looked like she was in shock, but she managed to compose herself. She was about to say something more, but Allison didn't have time for it.

"I've been through all the emotions. We are happy. We have all the support we need." She had to close her eyes for a second to focus on her anchor before she looked at the nurse again.

"Can I ask who the father is? Is it one of our students?" The woman didn't give up. Allison sighed heavily and shook her head. "You can ask as much as you want, but it's really none of your business. He stands behind me in this, and we are making plans for the future. We can handle it without your interference."

She wondered why she'd even bothered to come. This was just silly. That the staff actually cared was good though. Other girls didn't have the same support-system that she and Scott had. Allison got up from the chair. "I'm sorry, but really... I'm fine. I have friends and relatives that will be there for me." She shrugged and walked towards the door. "I'll drop by if I have any questions, but don't hold your breath."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Stiles had still not told anybody about the engagement. He knew that Derek had expected him to blurt it out on the first occasion, but something stopped him. Derek hadn't mentioned it to anyone either, but that wasn't so strange; Derek was a very private person.

When they were alone, they had talked about when to reveal it, and Derek had been very surprised that Stiles wanted to keep it a secret. For Stiles, it had nothing to do with that. The proposal had been so perfect. Everything about it had been just awesome, and he didn't miss any of those things he thought he wanted.

Announcing it was a totally different story. Stiles wanted to make it big. He wanted to share this in a way that would leave them all speechless and in tears. With school starting and everything that came along with that, he hadn't come up with anything, and in the meantime, he was fine with keeping it to himself.

It wasn't easy though; he knew he couldn't wait very much longer before he cracked.

Up until now, the six of them hadn't really sat down together for a meal; Pizza in front of the TV, or that rushed lunch last Sunday didn't count. Everybody had just been a little to busy adjusting and finding their place to make time for it.

He and Derek had frequently had dinner together. Sometimes Isaac and Alex sat down with them as well. These meals had been eaten in the kitchen. It was sometimes a tight squeeze, especially if they wanted to fit everybody.

The big table in the dining room hadn't been used for more than sewing curtains since they moved in. Stiles decided to do something about it, and with Alex' help, he planned a little dinner party on Saturday. He'd wanted to do it already on Friday, but Scott and Allison wanted some alone time and were going out for dinner.

Alex came up with a menu that didn't require anybody to run back and forth, and Stiles helped him to the best of his abilities. "You're a fine sous-chef. I'll hire you." Alex smiled as he pulled the bread out of the oven. "Lousy pay, but you get to eat everything you make."

It had been fun. Stiles realized that he liked cooking, and Alex was a good teacher.

Isaac set the table, and with his new found artistic skills, he decorated it with what he could find. They were all a little excited when they sat down. This would be the very first dinner party with only the six of them, and also the first since they moved in.

They were half way through the meal; Stiles twirled the ring around his finger under the table waiting for the correct moment, when Scott cleared his throat and got up from his chair. He gestured for Allison to get up too before he drew his breath heavily. "We have an announcement to make."

Stiles could only imagine what this was all about, and he cursed silently to himself. "We..." Scott blushed as he grabbed Allison's hand. "We are getting married." He held her hand up. A small diamond attached to a gold ring was sparkling on her finger. "I wanted to make an honorable woman out of her before the baby comes."

Stiles had seen the ring, but he'd chosen to ignore it, hoping that it wouldn't be an issue tonight. He was not so lucky. Everybody cheered and congratulated them. Stiles was pissed, but he was forced to join the choir. It wasn't that he wasn't happy for them, but his own plans got totally screwed up.

As soon as the awes had died down, Derek screwed it up even more. "Do you have to do it before the baby? How about a double wedding in June?" He gestured at Stiles. "Show them the ring." Reluctantly, Stiles put his hand on the table for everybody to see. They'd probably seen it before, but not up close, and they couldn't possibly know that it was an engagement-ring.

There was another round of cheers and awes. Stiles noticed that Alex and Isaac exchanged a look, and then they both uttered in unison: "How about a triple?"

Everything was falling apart. What Stiles had planned to be a dinner where he would be the center of attention, had turned in to a charade.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

After dinner, Isaac and Scott volunteered to clean up. Alex was a little stressed out about it; he felt that it was his kitchen, and having the two of them stomping around in there didn't suit him. It was still nice to be able to walk away from it all, but he didn't manage to relax completely.

They didn't really agree on a triple wedding, but it didn't matter. He and Isaac was not in a hurry to tie the knot. The commitment they shared was strong enough, and legalizing it was just a waste of time. That Scott and Allison wanted this was another story. They had a baby coming, and he could understand that they looked at this in a different manner.

Alex was more surprised about Stiles and Derek's engagement. It had apparently happened a couple of weeks ago, and he was amazed that Stiles had managed to kept it a secret until now. He couldn't think of any good reason why it would be necessary for them to get married. Werewolf-bonds were stronger than anything he knew, and promising to love each other forever in front of a notary wouldn't change a thing.

The weirdest part of this was that Stiles seemed slightly pissed off after dinner. He'd retracted upstairs, and Alex could hear the sound from the game he was playing. Nobody else seem to care; Allison sat in front of the TV, patting her belly. Scott and Isaac were still in the kitchen putting away leftovers, and Derek was just hanging by the window staring out into the darkness.

Maybe Derek did care about Stiles' mood, but he still didn't do anything about it. He didn't look annoyed or anything; on the contrary, there was a small smile playing in the corner of his mouth, and he looked perfectly at ease.

They had talked about watching a movie together later, but it wasn't easy to agree on which to choose. Scott tried to be a gentleman and let Allison pick, but Isaac had worried that they had to suffer though a chick-flick.

For Alex, it didn't matter. First of all, he was pretty sure that Allison wasn't into sappy love-stories, and secondly, he wasn't too fond of the action movies that Stiles and Isaac seemed to be addicted to. Letting Allison be in charge of this suited him fine.

It didn't look like Stiles was going to join them anyway, and Derek seemed indifferent to the whole movie-night.

When Scott and Isaac eventually joined them in the living room, Derek turned around and excused himself. He didn't give much of an explanation, and Alex was pretty sure he'd join Stiles upstairs. It came as a surprise when Derek walked over to the front door. With a quick wave, he just left.

Alex threw a peek out the window. He could see Derek standing by the treeline for a few seconds before he just pushed though the shrubbery and vanished into the darkness. It was very, very strange, and he wondered if he should say something.

They had put Periwinkle outside during the meal. He was a good dog, but he hadn't learned not to beg at the table yet, so it was easier to let him stay outside. Alex totally forgot about Derek when he saw the puppy, and he was about to go and fetch him when Isaac came over and kissed his neck. "Are you coming?"

Alex looked at Peri again. He was sleeping soundly and didn't seem to have a problem being outside, so he decided to let him stay there for a little while longer.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Stiles didn't know why, but as he sifted through the games – it was quite boring to play alone – he'd suddenly felt that something was happening with Derek. He didn't know if it was good or bad, but his body started aching and his heart started thumping at a faster rate.

Still a little annoyed about what happened at dinner, Stiles didn't want to join the others. He could hear the sounds from the movie they were watching, and he knew it would have been fun to be there, but he felt too proud to cave in yet. That nobody came to check on him was annoying though.

Focusing intently on the screen, he'd managed to calm down somewhat. He could still feel the pain, and his pulse was probably higher than usual, but since he couldn't really see a reason for this sudden uneasiness, he prevailed.

The strange feeling kept bothering him, and after about ten minutes, he snuck downstairs to check if there were something gong on that he should know about. Peeking into the living room he discovered that Derek wasn't even there. Tiptoeing around he soon found out that boyfriend – his fiancee – wasn't even in the house.

The uneasiness came back. Why would Derek leave? Where was he? Could it be that he was actually in danger?

Without answers to any of those questions, Stiles ascended the stairs again. He didn't want to ask the others; he just hoped that Derek would be back soon. He was probably just outside enjoying the fresh air. That he'd left without saying anything was a bit disappointing, but Stiles hadn't been very forthcoming either. He'd just left them to go sulking alone, and that wasn't particularly polite.

He sat down and stared at the black screen; he didn't want to play anymore. The reason for him sitting there alone was just stupid. There was no need for him to be so angry about this, but he didn't know how to proceed without losing face.

Suddenly, a shiver went down his spine. He wasn't quite sure, but he thought he heard a howl. It was so faint that it could easily be just a resembling sound, and he wondered if it could have come from the movie that was on downstairs.

He listened carefully. Without knowing what they were watching, he tried to find out. At the moment, he could only hear some unfamiliar music; it was loud, and could easily be the background of an action scene.

Another few minutes went by before he heard the sound again. This time it was closer, and there was no doubt about it any longer; it came from outside. The movie was still on, and it didn't seem like the others had noticed.

Worried about rouge wolves and Derek being out there alone, he decided to swallow his pride and check it out. He could still hear the music loud and clear, and figured that it probably drowned any other noise, making it impossible for his housemates to hear what was going on outside.

He was half-way down the stairs when the sound from the living room died down. For a second, he thought they had paused the movie, but then he realized that it was just a new, quieter scene playing. The little bark from Periwinkle startled him; he'd never heard the puppy bark before. At the same time, he could feel sweat braking out and the pain from earlier came back full force.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Half-way through the movie, they all got a little startled when they heard Periwinkle bark. It wasn't very loud, but it was highly unusual, he was normally pretty quiet. Alex jumped off the couch, and ran over to the nearest window. He could see the dog standing up. It looked like he was staring at something that Alex couldn't see from his position.

Alex was about to move over to the door to get the dog, when he saw something big emerge from the woods. The big black shadow – it was practically impossible to see its outline – moved slowly towards the house. Peri whimpered a little at first, but then he started jumping up and down, wagging his tail.

Of course Alex should have ran outside to grab him, but the scene was mesmerizing. The wolf – or whatever it was – stopped next to the doghouse and leaned forward until it had its snout inches from Periwinkle's.

"What's up?" Isaac was standing up by the couch and seemed to be ready to come over. Allison and Scott stared at him too, and concern were written on their faces. Alex looked at them for a split second before he waved them over. "This is so weird."

In the corner of his eye, Alex could see Stiles on the stairs. He looked like he was in pain. His hands were clenched around the rail, and he seemed to have a hard time standing up. He stared at the group crossing the floor. "Where's Derek?" His voice was unusually high pitch, and his face was contorted.

"Shouldn't we get Peri?" Stiles sounded more himself now as he struggled to get downstairs. With great effort, he straightened himself up and moved towards the door. "I'm going out."

Scott ran over to him while the others joined Alex at the window. They couldn't see the door, but as soon as Stiles opened it, the light from inside lit up part of the yard. Periwinkle was alone out there, whining and pulling on the leash. There was no trace of anyone else, and Alex started to think that he'd just imagined it all.


	83. Chapter 83

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I took the liberty to create a back-story for Derek and his family. I do not care if it fits canon or not; my fic needed a bit of Hale-history, so I came up with this.
> 
> A flashback to when the first Hale-house was built, and the tale of an old Alpha with strict rules. Derek shares this with his new family. Allison gets a few new worries, and she also makes a decision that she knows will be controversial. Derek sneaks out at night; he and Alex also keep another secret from the rest of the pack. Chris visits the house and gets a big surprise.

A tall, handsome man was standing in front of what would be his new home. The house was magnificent, and would have plenty of room for his big family. He had dreamt about this moment for years, and now, it was finally here.

The old house and the land it stood on were sold for more than he had expected, and he'd managed to make a profit against all odds. It didn't matter too much; he was more interested in getting away from it.

A family of werewolves so close to population was dangerous. They had been safe for decades, but with the boom in the second half of the last century, all sorts of people were drawn to this area. Hunters – that he'd only heard tales about – emerged, and made their lives more difficult.

The family had never ventured out on any spree killings, but he knew that it would be disregarded if anyone got wind of their heritage.

His father had planned this, but a tough life and old age had eventually taken it's toll. It was sad that he couldn't see this. His dream home in the middle of the woods, hidden from any prying neighbors, was finally a reality.

The man stroked his graying hair and smiled. He knew that his dad would have been proud. It took a long time, but the family could be safe now.

His two sons and his beautiful daughter could grow up here without risking a run-in with suspicious humans. They were all almost of age now, and would – in a few years time – go out in the world to find a mate.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

The house proved to be a good home. The family thrived, and as he grew older there was only one concern.

Being the leader of the pack carried responsibilities. One of them was to pick an heir. It had nothing to do with the inheritance of the land, or the money that came with it.

None of his children seemed to have what it took to be a leader. His oldest son had left to live up north. He'd found a mate and wanted to make it on his own. His youngest was a dimwit, and he actually regretted turning him in the first place. He would have done better in the human world.

His daughter had fallen in love with a human. It had been mutual. The boy came to the door to ask for her hand. After a long and hard deliberation with the girl, he'd decided to grant her wish to turn the boy.

They stayed at the house, and their firstborn showed great potential. That two werewolves would spawn a born-wolf wasn't given, so for an Alpha grandfather, it was very good news. Turning babies was the absolute worst thing he had to do.

Born a werewolf, the child connected with his grandfather on a different level, and he was possibly going to be the heir to the title.

That this boy seemed to be in no hurry to find a mate was a little troublesome. Probably being a little old-fashioned, the grandfather wanted to secure the future before he took his last breath.

Rumors of the boy's inappropriate behavior and connections with known homosexuals was disturbing. Not so much the act per se – werewolves didn't discriminate – but it was illegal, and could draw unwanted attention to the family.

The boy seemed to understand the implication, and managed to tone it down. A few years later, when he came home one day to seek guidance from the now very old Alpha, he had fallen head-over-heels in love with a younger man. The man was, against family policy, informed that he was dating a werewolf, and wanted to be turned.

Being his favorite grandchild, he didn't want to deny him anything, but in order to grant him his wish, he had one condition; he had to have an heir.

It took two years. The couple lived at the house and he learned to love and respect this human that his grandson spoke so highly about. He was skilled, and together, the two men managed the family business swimmingly.

In a twist of fate, a young girl was sent to them from down south. She'd been turned on accident, and had made so much ruckus about it, that the family down there had worried that she'd out them.

Being a Nestor in the werewolf society at the time, he volunteered to take her in. She immediately bonded with the gay couple under his roof, and what happened behind closed doors was never revealed. Less than a year later, she presented a child for him; his great-grand daughter was born.

On his deathbed, he held the baby in his arms, and with his withering strength, he gave the human the bite. The last words he heard before he took his last breath was his grandsons whisper; "Her name is Talia, she is a born-wolf."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

There wasn't a dry eye in the room when Derek leaned back. "That's how my mother became an heir to the Alpha status." The story of his heritage had captured them all. Allison wiped her eyes and got up from the couch. "So this family has been run by homosexuals before?" She sniffled a little and turned to Derek again. "Am I carrying a werewolf?"

Derek shook his head and smiled. "You didn't get it? It's impossible to predict." He got up and walked over to the dining table where all the old boxes were stashed. "A werewolf and a human can not produce a werewolf, but two werewolves can. It's still pretty random. When did you get pregnant?" Allison didn't answer. It wasn't necessary; they all knew that it happened after the turn.

"What about Peter?" Stiles struggled to understand. "He is your mom's brother, right?" Derek turned around and shrugged. "They wanted another child and my grandmother stepped up and did it again."

Alex huffed and stared at him. "Your grandmother? For me it looks like this woman wasn't more than an incubator." He threw his hands out. "No offense. I'm just saying."

Derek shook his head. "It was never like that. The three of them lived happily together. Peter and my mom partially grew up with three parents."

Sifting through the things left from his childhood, Derek picked up a picture and handed it to Alex. "I never met my, uh, step-grandfather. He died in an accident long before I was born." Seemingly indulged in his own thoughts, he flipped through a slightly singed photo-album. "It was a family secret. Back then, it was illegal to be gay."

Suddenly, he turned to them and frowned. "I didn't even know. They could have told me earlier."

Isaac cleared his throat and threw a quick peek at Stiles before he addressed Derek. "May I remind you that you liked girls?" He rolled his eyes. "Why would it matter?"

It took a little while before Derek answered. He stared at Stiles as he took a deep breath. "I have never been picky, and amongst werwolves this is not such a big deal. My problem was that I thought that I couldn't have a male mate."

He looked down on his hands and licked his lips. "To lead this pack, I thought I needed to mate with someone that could carry a child, but this story told me otherwise. My mom shared this tale with me just weeks before the fire."

Alex handed him the picture back. "He was very handsome. Did a hunter get him?" Derek shook his head. "No, uh, I don't think so. I think it was just an accident. If not, the hunters would have targeted the rest of the pack as well."

With a shrug, he sifted through the box and found another picture. "My great-great-grandfather! I guess he was old-fashioned. He wanted to make sure the family-name prevailed. He just wanted an heir, and didn't care about what they did behind closed doors."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

A born werewolf could – if he or she were strong enough – turn into an actual wolf. According to Derek, both his great-great-grandfather, his grandfather, and his mother had this ability.

Allison looked at her belly. She could be carrying a werewolf, and it scared her a little. That both she and Scott were bitten and not born into this could possibly mean that the chances were slimmer, but there were no guaranties.

She'd heard about these wolves before, but never encountered any of them. Derek's sister was the only one she had a little bit more knowledge about, but she died before she ever met Derek.

Derek's own status was also a little bit of a puzzle. He'd never mentioned anything about how he got turned, and Allison wondered if he too had been born a wolf. He'd cleverly dodged the question when she threw it out, and she wondered if he even knew himself. Some of the Hale-family's secrets seemed to have burnt away in that fire as well.

When Derek dug out the boxes from the basement, Allison thought he did it to share the family history with them, but she wasn't so sure about that anymore. Derek was obviously searching for clues to his own heritage.

That he seemed more confident now than he'd been for the last couple of weeks, told her that he knew something that the rest of them didn't. His strength – that had withered away after the dramatic incident with Stiles – seemed to be coming back, although it could just be her imagination.

One thing was perfectly clear; Allison could actually feel that the grip she had on the pack was slipping. She welcomed it, and hoped it meant that Derek was taking over.

She couldn't help thinking about Derek's great-great-grandfather's dying wish. He was adamant about the necessity to carry on the family name, and she found it sad that this branch of the family could possibly die out with Derek.

Lying awake in bed, listening to Scott's even breath, she made a decision. It was a decision that would impact a lot of people. There was no doubt in her mind that she would be challenged on it as well, but in her heart, she knew it was the right thing to do.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Three nights in a row, Stiles had woke up alone in bed. The first night he hadn't questioned it; Derek could just be in the bathroom or downstairs getting a drink or something, so Stiles had just relaxed and fallen asleep again. The next night, he'd actually got out of bed and checked the bathroom. It was three o'clock in the morning and he was still extremely tired; too tired to really worry.

When it happened again for the third time, he was more curious. The fact that he actually woke up in the first place was kind of strange. He'd never had a problem sleeping through the night before; it was like his body and mind reacted to Derek's absence.

This time, he snuck out of bed and searched the house. He couldn't find his boyfriend anywhere. It was a little creepy in the basement, but he took a quick look down there as well; the attic was also empty.

Back in bed, he decided to try to stay awake. He wanted to confront Derek and ask him what was going on. It was a bit disturbing that he'd left the house in the middle of the night.

It didn't take long before he started to doze of, and within half an hour, he was fast asleep again. He didn't wake up until the alarm alerted him that it was morning, and in the stress to get ready for school, he forgot all about it.

Another stress factor was added because Alex was having his test today. There were no food ready when Stiles came downstairs, and for the first time since they moved in, he had to make his own breakfast.

When Alex saw him sitting at the table with a bowl of cereal, he apologized for not having made anything. Even if it was nice having Alex acting like a maid in the morning, there was absolutely no need for him to apologize. So far, they had been spoiled.

There was a small discussion about how Alex would get to the testing center; he wasn't very familiar with the area, and wasn't sure if he could find it himself. Isaac volunteered to skip school, but Derek ended the conversation by offering to do take him there.

It was a bit of a surprise that Derek was even up. He usually stayed upstairs in the morning while everybody tried to get ready.

Stiles remembered that he was supposed to confront him about his nightly escapades, but there was no time for it now. It would just have to wait until they came back in the afternoon.

-o-o-o-o-o-

The drive to the test center wasn't that long; Alex knew he could have gone there by himself, but he'd faked being worried about getting lost. Derek didn't want the others to know that he was taking the test as well, so they came up with this plan to avoid anyone finding out.

Alex didn't really understand it; he was pretty sure that the others would support Derek in this, but for some reason, the guy wanted to keep it a secret.

After checking with the guidance counselor at Beacon Hills High, they had made sure that Derek was eligible to take the test, and for the last few days, while the others were at school, the two of them had studied hard.

Sitting there in the little cubical alone staring at the computer-screen in front of him, Alex soon realized that he was out on a limb. He was pretty sure that his English was acceptable; Social studies wasn't such a struggle, but when he came to the math part, he was completely clueless.

When it was all over they had to wait for the results. Derek didn't say so much about his test, and Alex didn't want to ask.

It didn't take so long before they were called. Alex failed miserably, but Derek had scraped himself through the exam and was going to be granted a GED-certificate.

For Alex it wasn't so bad, he knew it was a long-shot. That he'd aced the English test, and almost passed in social studies was satisfactory. In math and science, he sucked, and he knew he needed tutoring to be able to pass. All in all, he was content.

Derek tried to comfort him on the way back, but Alex didn't need any comforting. He was more excited about Derek's scores; their Alpha was educated and could study at a university if he wanted to.

"Their Alpha!" Alex didn't know why he suddenly looked at Derek as the leader. The guy hadn't even tried to be one, but somewhere in his core, Alex felt that this man was going to get there.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Chris hadn't been at the house much since they moved in; he'd been too busy catching up on business, and had been away from Beacon Hills for the most part. When he showed up that afternoon, Allison greeted him at the door showed him into the kitchen.

Derek was sitting at the table; Alex was about to prepare a meal for the three of them, and he offered her dad a plate as well. Stiles, Isaac, and Scott were still at school. They had to attend the the first Lacrosse session of the fall, and wouldn't be back until later.

Allison became very aware of the fact that she was dressed rather skimpy. The leggings and the tight tank-top didn't leave much to imagination. For anybody who looked at her closely, it was not hard to spot the little bulge on her belly.

She was so not ready to tell him yet, so she excused herself and ran upstairs to grab something that would conceal it a little bit more.

After the meal, Derek and Chris took a quick tour around inside the house. He hadn't seen it fully furnished yet, and he seemed very excited.

With one of Scott's biggest T-shirts on, Allison was pretty sure that the pregnancy was impossible to spot, so she relaxed somewhat as she and Alex cleaned up after their meal.

It didn't last so long. Suddenly, the two of them could hear Derek's voice from upstairs. "NO! That room is not done. Oh crap!" She and Alex exchanged a look, and she could see in his eyes that they shared the same thought. Her dad was probably looking at the nursery right now, and they both knew that someone would have some explaining to do.

When Derek and Chris came downstairs, Allison felt a little trapped. She was standing by the counter and there was no escape, unless she decided to jump out the window. Her dad stared at her as he entered the kitchen, and behind him, she could see that Derek seemed like he was in pain.

"I'm sorry." It was easy to understand the words Derek was mouthing, and she knew that they came from the heart.

Alex stepped forward and smiled. "Did you know that I have a sister?" He shifted his gaze between Derek and Chris. "She's gonna come here to visit." Allison knew that he tried to explain the nursery by mentioning this, but her dad wasn't fooled.

He looked at Alex and shook his head. "I know that your sister is six, so she won't need a crib." He pushed passed Alex, practically shoving him to the side, and stared directly at Allison. "Are you..?" Chris drew his breath heavily and Allison could see that his eyes wandered down her body and came to rest on her belly.

Allison swallowed hard and drew her breath before she nodded slowly. Her dad's eyes widened slightly as they met hers. "How far, uh, when...?" He averted his gaze for a second. "When did you plan to tell me?"

Alex scooted along the wall and snuck passed Chris to join Derek in the hall. The two of them seemed to be holding their breath, waiting for Allison's reply.

"Soon. I was gonna tell you soon. I'm sorry. I should have..." She had a hard time deciphering the expression on her dad's face. She had no idea if he was angry or just in a mild state of shock. She didn't plan the words that came out of her mouth next; she just dived into it head first. "Congratulations! You are going to become a grandfather!" She tried to smile, but her jaw trembled too much.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a little sad. If everything works out here at my end, it is only two chapters left in this long tale. Chapters 84 and 85 are both in the making, but it's really hard. I honestly don't want it to end, but it's enough now. My simple Sterek-fic has turned into a monster, and I have to say goodbye soon. Other fics has been on the backburner for ages, and planned cooperations have been abandoned. A life without 'Hurts so good' will probably start sometime next week.


	84. Chapter 84

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex meets Alessa again, and he wonders what Derek will say when he hear the news about her. Stiles is angry at Derek for keeping secrets. Allison knows more than she let out, and mysterious things are happening around the house.

The creature moved slowly through the dense vegetation. A thick layer of pine-needles cushioned it's steps, and in the darkness between the trees, it was practically invisible.

The trails created by the animals residing there had hardly ever been tread on by any human, and most people wouldn't even be able to detect the narrow paths in the first place.

A fox jumped out from the bushes, startled by the big beast that suddenly came so close to it's hiding place. The sound of rustling leaves as the fox hurriedly ran away, stirred up some smaller animals, and the creature stopped and listened to the high pitch squeaks from a couple of mice, alerting each other about this imminent threat to their lives.

Sniffing the ground, the big animal could smell where their nest was, but this was not a hunting-trip, and chasing mice was not even remotely interesting regardless.

A few minutes later, it reached the part of the woods that was less impenetrable. The light from the moon reached the ground here, and there was hardly any shrubbery. The trees were further apart and the dry leaves on the ground weren't as soundproof as the pine-needles.

Crossing this area was necessary in order to get to the destination; another option was to double back and walk around, but that would take too long.

On the last leg of this trip, the creature stepped into the almost open field before it started running. It wasn't because it was scared; it wasn't because it was in a hurry; he just wanted to test his legs, and feel the wind against it's body.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Alex was about to pour himself some coffee when he looked out the window in the kitchen. He saw the sheriff's cruiser roll slowly towards the house. He guessed it was Mr Stilinski, but he couldn't understand what he was doing here at this time of day. Derek wasn't even out of bed yet, and the rest of the housemates had left for school only a half an hour ago.

He picked another cup out of the cupboard. No matter what the reason for this visit was, he would at least offer the man some coffee.

Not even sure if this was a social call, Alex unwrapped the two leftover sandwiches that he'd made for breakfast. He cut them in both into four little triangles and put them on the table. It wasn't much, but he was pretty sure that Stiles' dad didn't come for the food.

When he looked out the window again, he saw that Mr Stilinski wasn't alone. Alex recognized the woman as Shantaya Jones – Alessa's social worker – and he realized that they were there to visit him. As he tried to keep an eye on the yard, he picked out another cup, and he almost dropped it when Ms Jones opened the back door of the car to let another passenger out.

Alessa was rubbing her eyes; she'd probably been sleeping in the back of the car, and Ms Jones lifted her up and carried her towards the porch. Alex' hands were slightly convulsing as he rushed over to open the door for them.

If he'd known, he would have prepared something other than a couple of sandwiches, but it was a little too late to think about that now.

Peri, who'd been busy with his own breakfast, had obviously noticed that someone was coming. He'd abandoned his food and was standing by the door, wagging his tail as the visitors entered.

Alex wasn't quite sure how to greet them. He'd never had guests before; not any guests that were there solely for him in any case.

It went very well. Shantaya told him that they had found family for Alessa in Beacon Hills, and that they were on their way to deliver her. Who would eventually get custody of the little girl was still pending; Sonya's wish was being considered, but at the moment. Alex was only granted visitation rights.

Ms Jones apologized for not informing him earlier, but the final paperwork wasn't ready until yesterday. "Your mom signed all the necessary papers, and there are only a few things to go through before this is settled."

Alex was very excited, but it had happened very fast. Even if it could take a while before Alessa could spend a night here, he wondered how Derek would feel about this. He was thoroughly informed about the slim chance that this could happen, but he hadn't really given his opinion.

-o-o-o-o-o-

The big wolf-like creature stared at the house. He'd been careless once before and gotten too close, so he made sure to stay in the shadows between the trees.

As he softly put his paws down on the ground, walking the perimeter of the yard, he listened carefully for sounds from the inhabitants. He startled when a light got turned on upstairs, and withdrew further into the bushes as he kept his eyes focused on the bright rectangular window. There was a movement in the curtains before a pale face appeared behind the glass.

The animal squinted to make sure that the light from up there wouldn't reflect in his eyes. The time was not right yet.

Ten nights in a row he'd walked the same route through the woods; sometimes trailing off towards the driveway, but after the first little mishap, he'd never got out in the open treeless yard.

A few minutes later, the light went out and the whole back of the house was covered in darkness again.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Another full moon was coming. It would be the second one for him without the chains and cuffs. Stiles had managed the last one pretty well, although he'd felt kind of antsy when it was at it's peek. His housemates had kept an eye on him, and Derek had been the ultimate support.

He was pretty sure he could handle it this time, but he wanted Derek by his side, just in case.

Derek's curious absence at night, had supposedly ceased. Stiles had asked him about it, and the explanation had not been particularly satisfying. They were safe here, and there should be no reason for Derek to keep checking the grounds for intruders.

Stiles had to use the term 'supposedly', because he didn't really know for sure. Every night after the little confrontation, he'd tried to stay awake until he was sure that Derek had fallen asleep. It took a while, and when Stiles eventually shut his eyes, he practically fell into a coma. The lore about werwolves not needing to sleep so much seemed a little far fetched, because Stiles really felt that he needed all the sleep he could get.

Another thing that he'd noticed with both Derek and Scott was that they were extremely light sleepers. Any little sound could alert them. Allison was the same, but Stiles had never slept in the same room as her, so he didn't have first hand knowledge of this.

The way Alex worked was a puzzle. He was almost always the last one to turn in, but he was also the first one to get up in the morning. Normally he looked unseemly awake and alert, and it was sometimes quite annoying.

Isaac was the only one Stiles could relate to on this. The two of them were equally tired in the morning; sometimes walking around like zombies, and pretty much acting on instinct.

When he woke up last night alone in bed – again – Stiles had been both angry and sad. He didn't bother to check the house; he could feel that Derek wasn't inside. He turned on the light and went to the bathroom before he threw a quick peek out the window. For a second, he felt that someone was watching him, and a shiver went down his spine.

-o-o-o-o-o-

It was time. The moon was almost full; he could feel the power from it throughout his whole being. Standing in the shade at the side of the house, the Alpha howled against the almost full moon. He never meant to do that, so he froze up, waiting for a reaction from inside.

A chuckle tickled his throat when he heard a high-pitch whine from inside the house. The little puppy tried to respond with it's still under-developed puppy voice.

He knew for sure that the two-legged residents of the house could have heard him as well, but nobody came to check. It was actually a little disturbing that they were able to ignore something that could be a threat to them.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Alex had heard a howl last night; he'd also heard Peri's response, and had rushed to the window to look outside. After he saw that big black beast out there almost two weeks ago, he had pushed it away, thinking it was just his imagination running away with him. It was probably just a stray dog. In the darkness, it could easily have looked bigger than it really was.

He now started to wonder, but decided to not do anything about at the moment. He snuck out in the hall and whispered Peri's name. He didn't want the puppy to wake the rest of the house with his whining, so tonight he'd let him stay in the room.

Alex was extremely tired at the moment, and he knew that he didn't get enough sleep. He wanted to keep this house pristine, and he stayed up late to make sure that there everything was in order. Tired and somewhat exhausted, he got up early almost every morning to have breakfast ready for the rest of his housemates.

In his heart, he knew that he didn't have to, but at the moment it was impossible to stop. The fact that he wanted his sister to come and live there, was another reason to try to make the Alpha happy.

He himself was a stray that Derek decided to take in. How could he possibly ask for more? Alex pushed himself to the limit to make amends, but he didn't know if it was good enough.

-o-o-o-o-

Stiles hadn't spoken with Derek all day. He was angry and disappointed. When he got up to get ready for school, he hadn't even kissed his fiancee goodbye before he went downstairs.

He, Scott, and Isaac had Lacrosse practice after school, so they all came home late. Allison and Alex were in the kitchen making sandwiches. They were obviously not getting any proper supper tonight.

The expression on Alex' face was probably the saddest one Stiles had ever seen on the guy, but when he tried to address it, Allison just pushed him away, rolling her eyes.

Derek was nowhere to be seen, but Allison briefly explained that he was just out for a walk. That didn't even make sense, and Stiles got even more angry than he'd been this morning.

When he learned that Derek had planned a family meeting under the full moon, Stiles' anger dissipated somewhat. Maybe he'd get some explanation as to Derek's clandestine behavior. He wondered if there was something out there that they needed to worry about, and he wanted answers.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Allison knew exactly what was going on. She was positive that this meeting was about Derek getting his pack back. She knew that she'd lost it sometime during the last couple of weeks, but she didn't know how or why.

The 'why' wasn't such a puzzle. She could feel that Derek had gotten his status back, and it was technically his pack in the first place. She hadn't mentioned it to anyone else in the house; they should have been able to sense it themselves, but she suspected that they were too busy adjusting to the house and their new living arrangement to catch it.

The 'how' was more intricate. She couldn't understand what Derek had done that made it possible for him to just take over. As far as she knew, it wasn't enough to just be an Alpha. He had to step up one way or another to earn the pack.

She stared at Stiles over the flames of the fire in the pit. He seemed sad as he kept picking on the ring – the engagement ring – that he got a few weeks ago. Was that it? Could Derek have earned this by making a commitment to his mate?

Another little thing that could be of importance was the fact that Derek had earned his GED. He had been very secretive about taking the test; only Alex knew about it, but he'd passed with a satisfactory result. Everybody had been excited when Alex revealed it, although Derek himself had been quite humble about it.

Allison had caught him sifting through college catalogs, and he seemed determined to use his degree.

Scott came over and sat down next to her. "Do you know what this is all about?" He kissed her cheek and stroke her belly. She smiled at him and nodded. "I think I know, but I'm not going to spoil the surprise." Leaning her head on Scott's shoulder, Allison decided to share something else with him.

"You know..." She whispered into his ear; she didn't want the others to hear her. "Unless some wayward werewolf girl comes along willing to act as an incubator, there will be no new Hale-baby in this house ever."

Scott pulled away a little bit and looked into her eyes. "Yeah? Uh, what do you... what are you getting at?" He'd grabbed her hands, and their fingers were tangled together. Allison had to take a moment to plan her next words.

"This baby..." She pushed their intertwined hands against her belly. "Our baby should be a Hale. She – or he – will be born into the Hale-pack, and should carry that name."

Sensing that Scott froze up for a second, Allison waited for him to give his view on this. She noticed that he stared at their hands before he drew his breath heavily. "The Hale-pack?" He looked at her with a puzzled expression on his face, but didn't get a chance to say anything more.

Except for their quiet little conversation, the only sound out there was the crackling from the fire. Stiles was still sitting there staring at his own hands; Isaac and Alex were huddled together under a blanket in the surprisingly cold late-summer's night, and Periwinkle was rolled up like a little fur-ball next to them.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

The roar from the woods startled them all. Isaac and Alex gasped in unison as if on cue; Peri was up on his feet in a split second, and both Allison and Scott – their backs turned towards the wood – flipped their heads around to stare into the darkness.

Stiles saw a movement between the trees, and he could feel that his claws were emerging. Scott started to get up from the log he was sitting on, as he tried to push Allison away. It was clearly an attempt to protect her – as if she needed protection. Stiles was pretty sure she could hold her own.

In the corner of his eyes, he saw the yellow flash in Isaac's eyes as he too got up from his seat. Alex reached his hand out to grab Peri's collar, but the dog scooted away from him before it leaped over the log and darted in between the trees.

Alex was on his way to run after him, but Isaac held him back. Another roar got abruptly cut off, and they could hear Peri whining and yapping.

Suddenly, the woods were just as quiet as it had been before. A piece of wood fell over in the fire pit, causing a burst of sparkles. Focusing intently on the area where the puppy had disappeared, Stiles picked up a faint whisper. It was completely illegible, but seconds later, Periwinkle came running back.

Isaac and Scott were on their feet and in combat position as the shadow between the trees started to take form. A wolf – a big black beast – pushed though the shrubbery and stared right at them. It's eyes were flickering between blue and red before the glow in them settled on a crimson color.

Stiles knew; in his heart he'd known for a while, but he hadn't payed attention to his heart lately. He'd been too focused on the anger to understand what was going on. Averting his gaze quickly, he could see that Allison smiled, as if she knew as well.

Scott was about to attack when Periwinkle got between him and the newcomer. The puppy stood up on his hind legs and licked the creature's snout, causing it to take a step back. It was pretty darn dark where it was standing now. The light from the fire didn't really reach him when both Scott and Allison were on their feet.

It was still possible to see what happened when the beast straightened himself up and started to transform into something more familiar. "Peri almost ruined the surprise." Derek's voice was practically unrecognizable. It sounded more like growls than actual word, but they all understood.

Completely naked and only partially covered up by some leafy branches, Derek looked down at himself as his eyes stopped glowing. Alex, who had sunk down on the log again during the transformation, jumped up and threw the blanket he'd been wrapped in to Derek.

"The Hale-pack." Scott's words came out more like a huff as he turned to look at Allison. "You knew?"

Wrapped in the blanket, Derek came over and sat down next to Stiles. He tugged him into an embrace and kissed him, before he drew his breath heavily. "She gave it to me. She gave me the pack."

Allison looked just as surprised as everybody else. She cocked her head and stared at Derek. "Did I? I didn't do anything."

Stiles had his arm wrapped around Derek' waist, and he could feel the little shiver in his body. It was obviously a little too chilly outside to be strutting around naked without a fur. He was still a little shook up, but realized that he should have understood this earlier. The bond he shared with Derek had been tickled for a while; he had felt it in his bones, but had disregarded it.

He felt another shiver from his mate, and pushed away a little to pull off his sweater. "Take this." He shoved into Derek's arms and waited for him to put it on before he scooted back into the embrace.

"I don't fit." The fabric was stretched to it's limits over Derek's muscular chest, but he didn't shake so much anymore.

Isaac threw a couple more logs on the fire as Alex was poking it. Allison was still staring at Derek, obviously waiting for an answer to her question.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Derek stared into the fire for a second. He was a little intimidated by his own appearance at the moment, but the others didn't seem to care so much. Their eyes were focused on him, and he knew that it wasn't only Allison who wanted answers.

"You gave it to me when you told me you didn't want to lead the pack; when you told me that it was really my pack in the first place." Derek shook his head and gave them a crocked smile. "I didn't know how I could earn it back; I just knew that I had to find the strength within myself."

For a moment, he got a little embarrassed. He stared at his lap before he grabbed Stiles' hand. "From the stories about my heritage, I learned a lot. Some of it I knew already, but I had never really been interested before. Maybe that was my downfall. I think so." He scooted a little closer to the fire and shrugged. "I was too self-absorbed. I felt sorry for myself and was more focused on my failures than on my achievements. Well... on what I could achieve."

Derek drew his breath quickly before he continued. "I learned more than I expected. What I told you about my heritage was just part of the story. I wanted to warn you, or maybe just give you the idea." He paused for a second and panned the crowd. "I learned that I was indeed a born-wolf, but my spirit was low. I didn't believe, but then... I started to believe."

He paused for a second before he got up. "This is just too ridiculous." With one arm clenched to his side in order to hold the blanket up, he pointed to himself with the other hand. "I need to find some clothes. I don't feel particularly powerful in this outfit."

It was uplifting to hear a little giggle from Stiles. He'd been afraid that his mate would still be a little angry about the secrecy. "You know what? You're so vain." Stiles got up also and tugged teasingly on the blanket. "Why don't we all go inside, it's cold out here." Derek knew, and after giving away his sweater, Stiles was kind of skimpy dressed as well.

Derek ran inside to find some pants, and to save time, he just kept the sweater on. When he came downstairs again he could hear whispers from the living room, but it died down as soon as he entered.

"You were out there once before; more than a week ago, right?" Alex was standing behind the couch where the other four was cramped together. "You have known this for a while already."

Derek rolled his eyes and huffed a little. "I was, eh, I did... but I wasn't ready. I wasn't strong enough. I couldn't just turn on a whim." He went over to the dining table to grab a chair and pulled it over towards the couch. "Every night I struggled to turn back; I had to find a special anchor to manage."

With a sigh, he slumped down on the chair and panned the still slightly disturbed faces in front of him. "I found it. I found it closer to home than I had anticipated." He reached his hand out and signaled for Stiles put his hand on his palm. "This." He rubbed Stiles' ring with his thumb. "I searched for a mantra or a thought that would ground me, but it was right here."

Stiles looked at him with fear in his eyes. "You need it back?" His voice was trembling a little, and he was about to pull his hand away. Before he got that far, Derek grabbed it and shook his head. "NO, no, no." He had five sets of eyes staring right at him, but he focused only on those orbs straight ahead. "No Stiles. The ring is exactly where it needs to be. You are my anchor. You made it possible for me to be a strong leader."

It would have been possible to hear a pin drop; it was like everybody was holding their breath, until a little sniffle from Alex broke the silence. Derek cocked his head and gave them all a crocked smile. "I wanted a pack of my own in this house, but I didn't know that I had to jump through hoops to get it."

He shrugged and squeezed Stiles hand again. "But it was better this way. I was too cocky and ungrateful before. All of this... all of you have taught me so much. You have taught me to fight for the privilege to be a strong and humble leader. This is the best pack I could ever wish for."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In a long and elaborate last chapter, I will do my best to wrap up loose ends. If something is forgotten I will have to live with it. There will not be a sequel, so that'll be it. Chapter 85 will be posted later this week.


	85. Chapter 85

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I can't just leave my characters alone. I have to take a trip into the future. Six months after the events of my previous chapter, a new resident of the house is introduced. Everybody wants to meet him, and the house is full for the weekend. Three months after that there is a wedding.

Six months later

The girl jumped out of the car and ran across the yard. Periwinkle stood up in front of the doghouse, but she ignored him completely. She hurried up the steps on the porch and gave the door a hard rap. Without waiting for a response, she went inside and kicked her shoes off before she paused a second to orientate herself.

Two sets of eyes stared at her from the living room before both faces they belonged to, cracked into bright smiles. Behind her, she could hear that Alex had caught up with her, and she knew he was going to tell her to calm down, but that would not be possible.

After dumping her backpack on the floor, she moved hurriedly towards the couch. Scott was sitting on the table right in font of Allison. She was curled up in the corner of the couch with pillows stacked around for comfort.

The little bundle in her arms emitted some small sounds, and a tiny little hand stuck out from the multicolored blanket.

Alessa tried to squeeze herself between Scott and Allison, but got stopped by her brother. "I know you're excited, but don't ambush them." He was about to pull her away a little bit, when Scott intervened. "She can sit here. He lifted Alessa off the floor and sat her on his lap, and when she leaned a little forward, she had a perfect view of the baby.

"Aww, he is so cute. Can I hold him?" She threw a brief peek at Allison before she looked at the little baby-boy again. "Maybe not now." Allison drew her breath and leaned back a little. "We should let him sleep now. Maybe later."

For several minutes, the three of them just sat there and stared at the little miracle, sleeping soundly in his mothers arms. "When can I babysit?" Alessa whispered as she eased herself off of Scott's lap. "What's his name? You think he will like me? When will he wake up?" The questions came trickling out too fast for Allison and Scott to answer, and they just looked at each other rolling their eyes.

Alex had been standing nearby, and now he waved Alessa over. "Come on, you can help me with supper." He reached his hand out for her to grab it. "You can ask them later. They just came home, and they all need to rest a little bit."

Reluctantly, Alessa moved away from the couch and grabbed her brother's hand. "I'll be the best big sister in the world." She blushed a little as she looked up at Alex. "I can pretend that he is my little brother, can't I?"

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"Uncle Derek!" Alessa placed her hands on her hips and cocked her head when Derek came upstairs. She was standing in the doorway to her room with a disgruntled expression on her face. He would have known that she was slightly dissatisfied without even looking at her. She never called him 'uncle Derek' unless she had a bone to pick with him.

He knew exactly what the problem was. When she started to spend every other weekend in the house, they had hurried to paint the walls and finish the floors in there, but it still looked a little barren and uninhabited. Last time she was there, he'd promised to fix up her room properly.

Feeling that it wasn't really his business, he'd pushed the chore over on Alex and Isaac. Between a few away games for Isaac on the lacrosse team, and Alex' struggles to get through the curriculum in the subjects that he was going to be tested in, they didn't have time for it. That Alex also had a job to go to wasn't helping, so decorating the room ended up on the back-burner.

Derek knew it was his fault; he was the one who'd promised, but attending evening classes at the community college three nights a week, it had slipped his mind.

It didn't help much that Allison started to have contractions about a week ago. After a trip to the hospital, they were told it was false alarm, but the whole household had been a little on edge after that.

When her water broke a few days later, Derek was the one who had to take hae and Scott to the hospital. She'd been in the kitchen with Isaac when it happened, and he was totally freaked out. Stiles and Alex were at the store, and Scott was in no condition to drive.

"Why don't we do it together this weekend?" Derek threw his hands out as he approached Alessa. "With the baby and everything else, I forgot. Will you forgive me?" Alessa's face softened and she looked at him with wide eyes. "Can I decide? Can I pick, uh, colors?"

He looked into the room and nodded. "Sure. Why don't we talk about it over supper, and tomorrow we can go out shopping."

-o-o-o-o-o-

After the initial shock, and a minor temper tantrum, Chris had eventually embraced the news about the baby. He'd been ready to fix up the nursery, and had gotten visibly disappointed when he realized that it was as good as done already. He had reluctantly agreed that Isaac and Alex had done a good job so far, but had demanded to finish it up himself.

When he learned that it was a boy, and that they planned to call him Christopher, he'd been practically ecstatic. Allison had to admit, that in her whole life she'd never seen her dad act like that. She even suspected that he was more excited about this than he was about her own birth.

He'd stayed at the hospital the whole day and a half that she was there. Even if he wasn't allowed in the delivery room, he'd paced the halls instead of going home to get some sleep.

Melissa had been way more grounded. For Allison, she'd been a rock. When everybody else had let their emotion take over, Melissa had been a comfort. She'd been the one person Allison could turn to with her – in her own mind – sometimes silly questions, and she'd never ever let her down.

During these months, the two of them had become more than just family; they had become friends. Sharing her innermost feelings with this woman had been easy, and it had been mutual.

Allison was the only one who knew that Melissa had spent more than one night in the Stilinski house over the last couple of months, and that him selling the house didn't necessarily mean that he would buy an apartment. He'd postpone the sell, because moving in together was a big step, and they both needed time. Allison knew that both Scott and Stiles had their suspicions about the clandestine relationship, but none of them dared to address it.

When they invited the newly hatched grandparents over for dinner, Allison had made sure to invite Stiles' dad too. He was a part of this; he was dating her soon to be mother-in-law, and would be tangled in to baby Christopher's life by proxy.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Tim and Linda were coming to visit, and was supposed to stay at the Hale-house. It was the first time in their lives visiting Beacon Hills without their parents. Stiles was slightly thrown off by the logistics. That Allison would go into labor almost two weeks before her due date was never in the plans. Not that it mattered so much for him per se, but his cousins would arrive only hours before the impromptu dinner party Scott and Allison had arranged for the grandparents.

His cousins and their parents had been there for thanksgiving last year, but they'd only had a brief encounter with his housemates at that point. Stiles had never got around to tell them about his relationship with Derek; he was embarrassingly intimidated by his aunt and uncle's reaction, so he'd sworn everybody to secrecy.

This time, Stiles had decided to come clean, but all this baby business and the fact that Alex' sister was there, screwed up his plans. Alessa's presence was also off schedule. Her foster parents were going on a cruise; they had offered to take her with them, but she wanted to come to her brother instead.

The girl was a talking machine, and Stiles feared that his idea of a subtle approach to the subject, would crash and burn. Alessa would probably tell them everything before anyone else could get a word in. That she was completely absorbed with baby Chris could help, but Stiles was not going to hold his breath.

-o-o-o-o-

Derek scratched his head as he looked into the guestroom. It was easily big enough to squeeze in another bed, but they didn't have one. He'd have to ask someone of they had a cot or something they could borrow.

Stiles was a little freaked out about everything that was going on in the house at the moment, but Derek tried to take it in the stride. Even if he wasn't too crazy about having to engage in conversations with all theses people, he'd discovered that he enjoyed having guests.

Normally, he withdrew from the scene and let the party go on without him, but he liked listening to the chatter. The house was alive, and he got that good feeling from when he was a boy; when the house was never really quiet.

That Stiles' cousins were bringing a friend, threw him off for a second; they really didn't have the room. The basement and the attic weren't quite done yet, so they couldn't have anyone sleeping there. He could have put a mattress in the nursery; the baby wasn't going to use it in a while, but Christopher Sr. had stacked it so full of all his 'necessary' gifts for the baby that it was hard to even get a foot in.

The only option was to put all three of them in the guestroom, and just hope that they would be okay with that. He just had to go out and find a bed of some sort.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Stiles went to the bus-station to pick up his cousins. He knew he was a little late, but he'd sent a text to tell them that he was on his way. As he parked, he saw something that threw him for a loop.

Linda grabbed Christian's hand, and standing on her toes, she gave him a kiss on the cheek. Stiles eyes widened. It couldn't be true. If Christian wanted to live a lie, there was nothing he could do about it, but he didn't want Linda dragged into this charade. He chose not to say anything, but as he walked over to them, he made sure Christian could see his disgruntled expression.

At that moment, Stiles disregarded the fact that he hadn't revealed his sexual orientation to them either.

He managed to keep a straight face through the whole drive, but as soon as they arrived at the house, he pulled Christian aside. Linda looked at them curiously, but when Derek came out to greet them, she and Tim grabbed their bags and followed him inside.

"This is not easy." Christian kicked up some gravel. It was clearly hard for him to continue. Stiles clenched his teeth. He really wanted to give the guy a piece of his mind, but decided to listen to whatever lame explanation he had for this.

Christian cleared his throat. "Linda is a nice girl; I've known her all my life. She's almost like a sister to me." He looked away for a second. "When I realized that she had a crush on me, I had to let her down." Stiles couldn't hold it in any longer. "But then you decided to go for it regardless? You're such a fraud."

The boy shook his head. "No! It's no like that." He sighed. "She was disappointed, but I think that... No, I know that deep down she felt the same." Stiles had no idea of where this was going. The two of them had acted like they were a couple.

"Well, as I said; at first she was very disappointed, and she tried to convince me that the sisterly feelings I had for her could go away, so I told her." Christian looked down for a second. "It just slipped out, and before I got a chance to regret it, she... she took it very well."

Stiles didn't understand squat. Linda had come outside again, but she didn't approach them. He threw a peek at her; she was playing with Periwinkle on the porch. Christian followed his line of view. "When school started again, she stood by me."

"I felt so alone, because I knew I couldn't deny it for myself any longer. Linda was there for me and promised to help keep my secret for... for as long as I need. It was her suggestion that she'd act as my girlfriend."

Stiles didn't know what to think. "But here... holding hands, snuggling... this is not high-school." He shrugged and stared at Christian. "Uh, it's Tim. He doesn't know, and I think I fear his reaction the most. He's my best friend, and the three of us have so much fun together. I don't want to jeopardize our friendship."

Suddenly, Christian straightened himself up a bit and shook his head. "As far as I know you haven't told them about yourself. You are really in no position to judge."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

The first thing that happened when they were all seated was that Alessa asked if they could say grace. It had never happened before, and almost all of them got slightly thrown. Christian couldn't know that they didn't do that in this house, so he grabbed the girl's hand and waited for the others to hold hands too.

When nobody else followed suit, he just bowed his head and whispered a few words. Then he squeezed Alessa's hand before he let go of it. It was a little weird. The other things that happened were mostly just annoying.

Chris Sr. was unable to sit still for more than two minutes without checking on the baby that was sleeping soundly in his little bassinet on the couch.

Mrs McCall and Mr Stilinski sat across the table from each other, and seemed to have a silent conversation going. Small, almost invisible hand-gestures and eye-movements made up most of it, but ever so often, single words slipped out. There was nothing especially revealing with the words per se; it was their eyes that spoke the loudest.

Linda was constantly touching Christian. She stroke his forearm, nudge him gently, or she let a finger run over his hand. It almost seemed forced, as if she was trying too hard. Christian himself didn't seem to mind, but there was an uneasiness in his whole posture, as if he was sitting uncomfortably.

Stiles kept throwing small peeks at them, and it looked like the whole thing annoyed him greatly. He didn't say anything, which in itself was kind of strange; Stiles was normally quite talkative. His cousin Tim had the same disgruntled expression on his face when he looked at Linda and Christian, but he seemed to try not to.

Alessa kept dropping food on the ground; it was clearly intentional, even if she knew that she wasn't allowed to feed Periwinkle under the table.

Isaac and Derek had been busy all day with Alessa's room. They'd also had to go and get one of those roll-away beds for their extra guest. It had taken it's time, and they hadn't eaten much during the day, so in the beginning of the meal they – and especially Isaac – focused mostly on their food,

Derek was not an expert conversationalist, and even if he tried to be a good host and engage the guests, his efforts seemed futile.

Scott also seemed a bit out of it. He had a deadpan expression on his face, and he sometimes had to cover up a yawn. Everybody knew that the baby had kept him and Allison up half the night, but Allison didn't seem to have any problems with it. She was more busy trying to calm her dad down, and she managed for a split second before he got up to check on the baby yet again.

They were half way through the main course when Alex had had enough. This was not a dinner party. It was more like a bunch of strangers forced to eat together. Except for Isaac and Derek, it didn't seem like anyone even payed attention to the food. They all ate without the ranting that Alex had become quite accustomed to. It wasn't like he absolutely needed the feedback, but this was highly unusual.

He tapped his glass with the fork and got up from the chair. When he was sure that he had everybody's attention, he started the little speech that had been brewing in his head for a while already.

"We're here to celebrate the arrival of a new family member, but this does not feel like a celebration." He could see that the others exchanged looks, and the embarrassed faces told him that they agreed. "Baby Chris is the only one here who knows how to behave in this specific situation."

Alex twisted his hands and drew his breath before he continued. "It looks like everybody here has too many secrets, so lets just get them out in the open." Some of them seemed bewildered, and a couple of them looked a little scared. Stiles lifted his hand as if he was trying to stop him, but Alex was on a roll.

"Alessa! You can get up and put Periwinkle outside. He is not allowed to sit under the table." His sister tried to protest, but he gave her a piercing stare before he kept going. "I'm sorry Mrs McCall, but what you and Mr Stilinski have going on is hardly a secret anymore. I'm sure both Stiles and Scott will be happy to learn that their parents are dating each other."

Suddenly Scott didn't seem so tired anymore. He and Stiles exchanged a look before they both stared at their parents. Mr Stilinski blushed a little and was about to say something when Alex shushed him. "Sorry officer, I'm not done."

He stared at Chris Sr. "You sir, behave like a impatient child. The baby is fine, he'll tell you when he needs attention. Trust your daughter." He turned to Linda and Christian, and hesitated for a second. He didn't know them and didn't want to be too rude. With a quick nod towards Tim, he dived into it.

"To our guests from Arizona. Sorry guys, but it seems like the three of you have something brewing. Tim looks like he's about to pop, and Christian..." Alex exhaled audibly before he continued. "I can understand that you feel uncomfortable; me and my housemates haven't done much to make you feel welcome, but you're hiding something, and that's not on us."

Alessa came back after putting Periwinkle outside, and Alex waited until she was seated again before he turned to Stiles. "I don't know what's wrong with you. I agree that Linda is overdoing it trying to show her affection for her boyfriend, but she can date whoever she wants. If you don't like it, you have to remember that she may not be so thrilled about you and Derek's relationship either."

Linda looked up abruptly. Her eyes widened and she shifted her gaze between Stiles and Derek. Stiles practically froze up while Derek shook his head and emitted a small chuckle. Isaac hadn't lifted his head during the speech, but now he got up and forced Alex down on his seat. "Alex, you're losing it. It's enough now."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

It was amazing how they all had managed to keep quiet during Alex' monologue. That there had been a few attempts to stop him didn't count. At the moment, everybody was just sitting there staring right at him, and Allison couldn't help feeling a little sorry for him.

She totally agreed with everything that had been said, but that didn't mean it had to be said. If the dinner party had been a little awkward before this, it had now reached a new level of awkward. It didn't look like anyone was going to try to fix it, so she took it upon herself.

"I agree with him, although..." She shook her head and smiled. "You could have been a little more subtle about it." Alex looked like he was about to cry, and that would probably not help the situation much. "Relax. You have worked really hard with this this, so I can understand that you wanted it to be perfect, but come on."

She was about to continue, when Mr Stilinski cleared his throat. "Stiles, Scott. It is true. Me and Melissa are dating. We have for a few months now, and we are happy. How Alex could know I don't understand. We have done our best to keep it a secret, but I agree with him. Better to get it out in the open."

Something happened with the mood in an instant. Allison had only succeeded partially, but this cleared the air. Even if Scott and Stiles looked like they'd just landed from another planet, the rest of the crowd seemed to enjoy the news.

Allison noticed that her dad was about to get up again, but then he just peeked at the bassinet and smiled. "Sorry. I'm just... a silly grandfather. I know he's alright, but..." He shrugged and threw his hands out. "I'm going to spoil him rotten if you don't stop me."

Derek sounded like he was choking, but he was only trying to cover up a chuckle. "I think you've already proved that. He has more clothes and stuff than the rest of us combined." He smiled and stared at Stiles sitting on the opposite end of the table. "So you didn't tell your cousins that we are a couple? Shame on you."

The mood around the table had changed significantly. There were smiles all around, and when Isaac proposed a toast for honesty, they all joined in. All, except for Tim.

He sat right across the table from Allison and when she smiled at him, he just frowned. He lifted his glass with the others before he turned to Christian. "Honesty." For a second he seemed to be in pain, but managed to compose himself. "I know you're gay. Linda told me everything, but I wanted you to tell me yourself. I can't believe that you thought our friendship wasn't strong enough for you to come to me."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

The silence around the table became painstaking. Isaac wanted to do something about it, and he searched his brain for something to say. Tim looked like he wanted to leave; Stiles seemed to try not to laugh, and Christian's face was as red as a beet. The rest of the crowd just sat there like dummies.

The high pitch scream from the baby startled them all; Chris Sr, Allison, and Scott jumped up and ran over to the couch as if it was a race, and Tim slumped his head down, staring at his plate.

"Oh God!" Isaac rolled his eyes and sighed heavily. "Welcome to the world little guy. Brace yourself. The drama of growing up in a gay household can break your back." It was probably not the correct choice of words, but he couldn't help himself.

"Can I move in here too?" Christian's words came as a surprise. "I'm joking!" He was still blushing, and he kept staring at Tim. "I'm sorry Timothy. Our friendship means the world to me, and... I'm so so sorry I didn't tell you." He threw a peek at Linda. "I should have known that you couldn't keep this from your brother." He paused for a second. "Maybe I did know."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Derek withdrew to his room and let Stiles take care of their overnight guests. Through the whole drama around the dining-table, he'd been enjoying himself. He'd tried not to show it too much; for some of them, it had been a little traumatic, and he didn't want to make it worse by laughing out loud.

After Allison had fed the baby, Scott volunteered to take him upstairs to change his diaper. He never came back, and when Allison went to check, her two boys were fast asleep in their room.

Chris Sr decided to take an early night as well, and left shortly after the dessert was consumed. With a promise to help with the baby whenever they needed him to, he took off.

Stiles subjected his dad to something of a third degree. It ended in a bear hug that Melissa also got dragged into. Shortly after that, the two of them also decided to leave.

Their three overnight guests had kept to themselves throughout the goodbye scenes, and Derek had no urge to stay for what would possibly be yet another confrontation. Allison fled upstairs as well, while Alex and Isaac cleaned up after the meal.

Derek sat on the bed, and decided to dive into the college books again when he heard a soft knock on the door. It opened before he got a chance to say anything. Alessa stared at him for a second before she stepped inside. "Can you read me a story?"

Propped up in bed with the little girl tucked to his side, Derek smiled to himself. Alessa was part of this weird family now, and he hoped that eventually she'd move in for good. The logistics involved with having another child in the house, would be easily overcome. There wasn't a doubt in his mind that she belonged there with them, and that she completed the family.

He didn't get far into the book about Matilda before Alessa started do doze off. After another few minutes, she was fast asleep next to him. Derek pulled the blanket over her and went back to his own books. He could put her to bed later.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"So he's your, like, uh, hubby, sort of." Linda was practically stammering as she nodded towards the upstairs, indicating that she was talking about Derek. Stiles felt equally awkward. He should have told them before; in hindsight, he didn't even know what he'd worried about. If they didn't approve it was really no big deal, he and Derek was going to be together forever regardless of anyone's approval.

The look on Linda's face told him that he'd been wrong. She seemed happy about the news, although she'd been a little disappointed that Stiles had tried to keep it a secret. He followed her line of view and nodded. "Yeah, we're a couple, and I'm sorry I didn't trust you."

They were sitting on the stairs waiting for Tim and Christian to talk it out. The two boys were in the living room, and Stiles could hear whispers from there. He tried not to eavesdrop, but it wasn't easy. He was perfectly capable of turning off his werewolf-hearing, but he was very curious.

"Alex is gay too, right?" Linda had lowered her voice, and was looking at him and Isaac stacking the dishwasher together. Stiles chuckled a little. You had to be blind not to see that Alex was gay, so he didn't feel that he had to answer. "The two of them are a couple also. Didn't you see them together after supper?"

She stared at them for another moment before she turned back to Stiles. "I guess I did, but they are so... what a waste." She smiled shyly, and Stiles could see that she blushed a little. "I didn't mean that, it's just... the best ones are..."

Stiles wrapped an arm around her and gave her a hug. "I know. We're special, but there is a straight guy somewhere out there for you. Just you wait and see, you're still young." He couldn't hear a sound from the living room anymore and felt an urge to check what was going on in there, but he managed to stay put.

Linda sighed heavily. "Not in our neighborhood. The boys at school are just stupid. Christian was always different. I compared everybody to him, and they all fell through." She leaned her head on Stiles' shoulder and sighed again. "I have to get out of there sometime. I can't wait to go to college."

Stiles could understand her. Without a car, it wasn't easy to hang out with anybody outside the small community she'd grown up in. "It'll be easier when you get your license. It's not that long until you turn sixteen."

They got interrupted by Tim and Christian. "It's all good, we're still best friends." Tim smiled and looked at Linda and Stiles. "We can handle this." He rolled his eyes and nudged Christian gently on the shoulder. "I really have no choice. It's not that there are too many friends to pick from up there in the mountains."

Linda emitted a small chuckle. "Exactly!"

-o-o-o-o-o-

The house was quiet. Allison was dead tired, but she couldn't sleep. There was no real reason for it; she was calm and collected, but the Sandman had obviously decided to skip her on his round.

It wasn't that she'd been lying there sleepless for long. It was only a little more than an hour since she went to bed, convinced that she'd pass out as soon as her head landed on the pillow. There was a brief moment of oblivion before she started to listen to the sounds around her. They didn't bother her much, and was not the reason she couldn't sleep.

Scott and Christopher Jr were almost breathing in sync. The baby's soft breath was almost undetectable, and she knew that the only reason she could even hear it was because she was a werewolf. Scott wasn't very loud either, but it sounded like he was sleeping very deeply. It wasn't so strange; last night, baby Chris had kept them on their toes.

Allison had got a chance to get some shuteye when she fed him before the dinner-party. And that was probably part of the reason she'd been a tad more alert than Scott during the meal.

She'd heard sounds from the kitchen also; the refrigerator door slamming shut a couple of times, and a few giggles between Isaac and Alex. There were some whispers in the hall that she couldn't make out, but shortly after that it all went quiet. Maybe not completely. Someone was coming upstairs, and she guessed that the rest of the housemates were going to bed as well.

Lying there, staring into the ceiling Allison wondered how it was possible to know if the baby was a werewolf. He looked just like a normal baby, and she couldn't sense anything that would give away his status. How Derek's grandfather could know that Talia was one on the day she was born, was beyond her.

The only conclusion she'd come up with so far was that they had to have injured her in some way to check if she had healing powers. Allison was not going to do that. If Chris Jr was a werewolf they'd find out soon enough.

She closed her eyes and tried to think of something else. A small sound from downstairs told her that not everybody was in bed yet. Maybe it was just one of their guests using the restroom. It didn't matter, Allison could feel that she was about to fall asleep, and she just hoped that the baby would let her get a couple of hours at least.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Alex wanted to check on Alessa before he went to bed, but Isaac had stopped him. "She's fine. She has to be exhausted from all the work she put in today. Let her be." As they walked past her room Alex knew that Isaac was right. He didn't have to constantly worry about his sister and her place in the house.

They all knew she belonged there, and if everything went according to plan, she could be a permanent member of the household before the year was over.

He biggest issue had been that Alex couldn't provide for her; that Derek had enough money didn't count, because he wouldn't be her legal guardian regardless.

That issue had resolved itself in a surprising way.

There were two reasons for that. Alessa had a trust-fund, and Sonya had signed it over to Alex. It wasn't big money, but enough to keep her fed and clothed for a good while. That Alex had managed to find a job, was also helpful, although it didn't provide much income yet.

Driving around Beacon Hills to show Alessa her new hometown, he'd come across a small restaurant; it was really not much more than a diner, but the sign in the window asking for part time help had intrigued him.

Being his most charming self, he'd went inside to do some inquiries. Without any papers to show for himself, he didn't have very high hopes, but it turned out to be an unnecessary worry.

The owner – a little old lady – just needed someone to come in during peek-hours to help out with whatever came along. Peek-hours didn't happen very often at this run-down place, and to begin with, Alex had only worked about ten hours a week. He busted tables and did the dishes; he cleaned up spills and occasionally served coffee.

It wasn't the greatest job, and the pay was lousy, but he loved having something to do outside the house.

When one of the cooks suddenly just quit, Alex stepped in to help. He still didn't work full time, but it didn't take long before the few regulars started asking for the 'Alex-burger'. Enjoying his new-found fame, he sometimes even worked for free because he knew that the owner was struggling to keep the place afloat.

The chef was good, but his creativity wasn't anything to brag about. He'd kept the same menu for years, and although it was excellent food, it didn't bring new customers.

When Alex suggested to add a pasta-dish to the 'daily specials', it was with a promise to make it himself on his own time. The somewhat simple Spaghetti Bolognese had been a big hit, and that's when it all changed.

Mrs Schwartz, the owner, wanted to give him a full time position, but there wasn't enough money. A random health inspection had made it clear that the kitchen needed to be upgraded and that would take all the funds she had and more.

It wasn't easy to go to Derek for help, but when Alex eventually managed to find the courage, the Alpha had been listening with interest.

Nothing was decided yet; Derek needed time to look into it, but there was a possibility that he'd invest in this dingy old diner and help make it into the restaurant Mrs Schwartz had always dreamed about.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Derek trailed off from his books. They were extremely boring. He didn't really regret that he picked courses on economy and management, but sometimes he wished he'd started with something simpler, or at least something more enjoyable.

The little girl sleeping next to him didn't make the situation any better. It wasn't that he didn't like having her there; she had often fallen asleep in this bed, and he regretted being so lenient about it. Sooner or later, he had to get up and carry her to her room, unless Stiles came and did it for him.

He couldn't picture himself as a businessman; not like his grandfather or the forefathers before him. The woods they owned had been the main source of income for the family, and back in the day, it had been a workplace for most of the pack.

During his mothers reign, it had been downsized; lumber didn't provide the the same revenue as before. The city was now harvesting the forest and it provided Derek with a nice monthly income, but it wasn't enough for this extended family.

The skills of his forefathers had left him with a small fortune in the bank, but a lot of it had been spent on rebuilding the house. It wasn't like they would starve anytime soon; Stiles and Scott brought in some money, and with Alex' new job, they managed fine.

It was still a little bothersome that he hadn't done anything to increase his own worth. Investing in Mrs Schwartz restaurant could change that, but it could also go horribly wrong. Managed in the right way it could be the new family business, and Derek didn't have a doubt in his mind that the old lady was capable of running it. With limited resources she'd kept it afloat for decades, although it had to have been struggles along the way.

Technically, he'd already made up his mind. It was his money, and as the Alpha of the pack, he didn't have to consult anybody. He was still not going to do that. They were a family now, and everybody had to have their say in this.

This had been a year of big changes for the lot of them. More than a year really. When Scott got the bite, it had impacted all of them one way or the other. Without it, Derek would probably never have met Stiles, and the sometimes turbulent relationship between Scott and Allison could have gotten a totally different outcome.

Without the bite, Scott could easily have ended up as a hunter, and Beacon Hills would not have been a place to stay for a stray wolf. That there was another werewolf in this town; a guy that needed all the help he could get, had made it easier to stay. That Scott hadn't been interested in forming a pack had been disappointing, but that changed as well. Derek smiled to himself. If anyone had told him that Scott would come around and join him, a lot of things would have been handled differently.

Derek still cringed when he thought about what he did to create a pack of his own. He was so not ready, and he'd killed Erica and Vernon. So he hadn't done it himself, but his actions had led them to their death.

He pushed the sad feelings away and tried to focus on the present. The happiness he felt every day waking up in this house with all his best friends around him, could only compare to how it was to grow up in the old house with the big Hale-family.

Throwing a peek at Alessa's messy head of hair, Derek almost got a little emotional. He wanted her to have the same experience he had in this place. A childhood free of worries, and with enough people around to never get bored.

Baby Chris – with Hale as his last name – would always be cared for by everybody in this weird and twisted family. Derek loved him as if he was his own, and he would protect him from harm till the end of days.

With a sigh, he picked up his book again. Getting through college was part of the plan; he needed to keep studying if he wanted to be able to provide for his extended family, so he had to prevail.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Linda, Christian, and Timothy had finally turned in. Stiles sat down on the stairs and listened to the whispers from the guestroom. It didn't take so long before it went quiet; they were probably exhausted from the trip, and the events of the evening must have taken it's toll as well.

Starting with Scott and Allison bringing Chris Jr home on Thursday, this weekend had been quite eventful already, and it was only Friday night.

Stiles didn't really mind; he enjoyed a little bit a drama from time to time, and even if he'd been the center of it for a brief moment, it had been fun.

That Derek seemed to enjoy this even more wasn't such a big surprise. Stiles had learned that even if Derek didn't like to partake in the ruckus, he loved a full house and everything that came with it. In the beginning of their life in this house, Stiles had been quite annoyed when Derek took off and left the rest of them to sort things out. He was the Alpha, and should help out with the problems.

They all soon discovered that it wasn't about that. It wasn't Derek's way of avoiding confrontations, it was more about his trust in them. He trusted them to solve it between themselves. When they bickered about who's turn it was to do the laundry, or when it was time to vacuum, Derek excused himself and left.

He always did his own chores without complaining, and expected everybody else to do the same. When they were less willing than able, he let them be. It was minor issues, and they always managed to come to an agreement.

The lists that they had made to solve these smaller issues were more or less obsolete now. Scott, Isaac, and Stiles still procrastinated somewhat, but when everybody did their part, it wasn't a lot of work.

Alex' name didn't appear on any of those lists. He was managing the kitchen; cooking for them every day, and he also volunteered to take care of the downstairs bathroom. Between that and taking care of Alessa, studying to get his GED, and being the main provider for Periwinkle, he had enough on his plate. It was amazing that he managed all this, as well as keeping a part time job.

Stiles knew they were spoiled, and the spats they had in the beginning were kind of embarrassing to think about in hindsight.

Derek didn't only retract to his room when the going got tough; sometimes, he took off into the woods, and Stiles knew that he was roaming around in his four-legged skin. He'd gone with him on a couple of occasions, but it didn't feel right. Wolf-Derek could outrun him, and when they were together, Stiles felt that he was holding him back. Sneaking around between the trees, Derek was practically invisible, while Stiles' own pale face stuck out like a sore thumb.

Leaving Derek alone on these trips hadn't been easy; Stiles could always feel a yearning in his being when he was left alone in their big bed, but these lonely trails though the woods ultimately made Derek a better person. He was normally not gone for long anyway.

Stiles got up and ascended the stairs. He was happy. From the moment they moved in, he'd felt like this was home; as if he'd always belonged here in this house.

Stiles opened the door to their room quietly. He was pretty sure that Derek would hear him regardless, but there was no need to make too much noise.

Derek didn't even react; he had his headphones on, and was indulged in one of his college books. Next to him, Stiles could see a messy head of hair and the outline of Alessa under the covers. He sighed. It wasn't the first time the girl had fallen asleep in this bed. Derek never bothered to read to her in her own room, and she always passed out after a couple of pages.

He stood there for a good minute before Derek lifted his head in surprise. He'd obviously not been aware of Stiles' presence. With a telling gesture, he indicated that Stiles had to carry Alessa to her room before he started to assemble his books.

Stiles shook his head and smiled. This started to become a habit, but he didn't mind. The bond between Derek and the little girl pleased him; Alex was her legal guardian, but Derek treated her like a daughter. That side of Derek was new, and it made Stiles proud.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

It had been a tumultuous weekend. Allison and Scott and actually planned to tie the knot that Saturday, but Baby Chris decided to come a little early, and had screwed that up. It didn't matter.

Allison didn't care that he was born out of wedlock; it was more a concern for her dad and for Scott.

When it had to be postponed anyway, she'd suggested to Stiles that they could have a double wedding in June, but he wasn't that interested in getting married anymore.

When it was revealed that Stiles and Derek were engaged, he'd been pissed because she and Scott stole his thunder, but he'd mellowed quickly. The two of them had talked about it, and Stiles seemed fine with being engaged for life.

Instead, he and Alex had dived into the planning of her and Scott's wedding. Their guests from Arizona didn't know; it was going to be a surprise for them that they would attend, so there was no need to explain anything for them.

For Allison, it was really a relief. She went along with it for Scott's sake, but she'd always had a dream about fitting into her mom's wedding-dress. Being pregnant in her last trimester for the ceremony had made that impossible, but now she could.

They hadn't invited too many people to the party, so it was easy to alert them all about the cancellation. On the other hand, it had resulted in a run of folk coming around to see the baby. Lydia and Danny came on Saturday, and none of them wanted to leave. Danny's reasons had obviously not had anything to do with Chris Jr, even if he tried his best to make everybody believe that.

Christian had been a big help. With his multiple siblings, he had more experience with babies than any of them. Allison didn't know if anybody else noticed, but she'd seen the expression on Danny's face when Christian soothed Chris Junior.

She had to remind Danny that the boy was only sixteen, and he'd practically crumbled under her stare. Christian's toned body and his bulging muscles had fooled Danny big time. That he seemed so confident handling the baby didn't help much on his perception, so he'd been a little embarrassed.

That Christian was equally intrigued by Danny, wasn't hard to decipher, but Allison suspected that he wasn't used to getting this kind of attention from a guy. The two of them had exchanged contact information, but Danny had left shortly after that.

Allison had never been especially skilled in the household chores, but as the only girl in the house, she'd noticed that the others expected more from her than they were willing to admit. It had been a bumpy ride in the beginning, but they had eventually understood that she wasn't going to act as their mother.

She never had any problems with Derek and Alex; the two of them treated her as an equal. That Alex had pampered her a little because of the pregnancy didn't bother her; she'd taken care of Alessa for him on multiple occasions.

Having the little girl there had been a comfort. Allison enjoyed every moment of it. That she'd been a little bossy at times suited Allison fine. Even if she was only six, she was a girl, and it was nice to have someone of her own gender in the house.

Derek's connection with the little girl was more of a surprise. In the beginning, Alex seemed to have a few issue to struggle with, but Derek had stepped up and taken care of Alessa as if she was his own. Allison knew that Stiles had been equally surprised, but the expression on his face when he saw the two of them together was telling. Stiles loved this side of Derek.

Allison picked up the baby and carried him downstairs. Their guests were leaving, and Stiles was going to take them to the bus-station.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Another three months later

The house was quiet. A full moon was hanging in the skies, and everybody knew that Derek would run out sometime during the night. It hadn't happened too often lately, but he'd be unable to resist this time.

They were all capable of dealing with this, and with Alessa at the house, they had to. She didn't know that she was living with werewolves, but sooner or later they'd have to tell her; sooner or later they'd have to give her the choice.

The letter that came in the mail this morning had been a relief to all of them. Alessa was going to be a permanent resident of the house.

Derek's decision to invest in Mrs Schwartz's business had payed off, and Alex was now making a decent income.

The attic was finished. Derek and Chris had made it into a nice spot for them to withdraw to if they wanted some time alone without going to their bedroom. It also served as extra guestroom, which was nice; especially this night with the unexpected overnight guests.

The basement was also done, and it had drawn a few of the guys from the lacrosse team over from time to time. Working out down there was preferred since the gym at school was kind of run down.

When Christian showed up to the party as Danny's 'plus one', they all got a little surprised. Derek had been a little concerned until someone reminded him about his own pursuit of Stiles.

-o-o-o-o-

The wedding had been magnificent. Scott was so nervous that most of his housemates thought he'd pass out, but he prevailed and gave his wife a speech that had everybody in tears. Stiles and Lydia – the best man and the maid of honor – did their part, and the rest of the evening was just awesome.

Leaving Chris Jr with Melissa for the night had not been easy for the newlyweds, but Derek had insisted that they took his offer to spend the night in a hotel. He'd wanted to send them on a honeymoon, but they'd turned it down and settled for only one night away from the house and the baby.

Christian, Danny, and Lydia were going to spend the night. For Lydia, it wasn't really a choice; she was so drunk that Derek decided to not send her home. Christian was welcomed to stay regardless; they couldn't just ship him back to Arizona, and Danny... he just stayed.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Stiles had been a little worried that they would see Derek outside if they peeked out of the window. How to explain the sighting of a wolf in an area where wolves hadn't been seen in more than a hundred years would be a problem.

His concerns were unfounded; Lydia passed out quickly. Danny and Christian withdrew to the attic where they spent the night mostly talking. There might have been other things than talking going on up there, but nobody heard anything suspicious.

-o-o-o-o-o-

When Derek came back in the early morning hours and snuck under the covers, he smelled of pine and wildflowers. Stiles dug his face into his chest and breathed in the scents before he wrapped his arms around him and tugged him closer.

Derek was always extremely cuddly and very aroused after these nights in the woods, and Stiles was ready and willing. With all emotions running high the last evening, he could barely wait for his mate to come back.

With the house crawling with guests, they had to keep it down, but over time they'd learned to do that.

Stiles had prepped himself for the encounter, so when Derek pushed him over on his stomach, he was as ready as he could be.

They took their time. There was no need to rush anything. Stiles knew he would have a sore asshole for a while after; Derek like to play a little before he cummed, but it didn't matter. It would heal nicely before the sun hit the top of the trees surrounding the house.

These slow, silent sexual encounters were the best. No words and no need to scream out loud was divine. Derek seemed to be able to last a lifetime, and Stiles tried to hold back. Eventually it was impossible, and he was always the one who caved in first.

The few moments they had the house for themselves, they didn't hold back. Noisy sex was, for Stiles, a necessity from time to time; he really enjoyed being loud, but this was different. The clandestine nature of it made it all so special. With werewolves in the house, it was hard to have a private sex-life, so they had perfected it.

Scott and Allison had obviously done so too, whereas Alex and Isaac had no shame.

Clinging to the pillow as he cummed on the linen, Stiles begged Derek to get it over with. He'd been fucked in the ass for more than a half hour, and was ready to get a bit of shuteye before everybody else woke up.

Derek was clearly more than ready, and with his claws dug deep into Stiles' shoulders, he released his load with a muffled growl.

Someone else had sex that night as well. It wasn't Danny and Christian; the boy wasn't quite ready for that yet. It was definitely not Alex and Isaac; keeping quiet wasn't their forte, and everybody could easily tell when the two of them were at it.

They didn't know it at the time, but nine moths later, only four days after Chris Jr's first birthday, Allison went into labor, and little Talia was born.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

The end...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A big thanks to everybody that have bothered to read this long story. Thank you for the feedback and the kudos. I will keep writing, but this fic has come to an end. Comments are appreciated.


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